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Re:TSMC's Arizona Plant to Start Making Advanced Chips by wincy on Friday December 27, 2024 @11:08PM (#42528469)
I thought the machines that make this stuff come from ASML in The Netherlands? How does this work, couldn’t we buy the machines from ASML?
Re:TSMC's Arizona Plant to Start Making Advanced Chips by bri3d on Friday December 27, 2024 @11:35PM (#42528614)
As I post every time this question gets asked: no. ASML build fancy printers. Buy an ASML machine and you can now etch nanometer-scale features into something. That’s a great party trick. You still need to know what features to print and how to make the materials you print your design on. The ASML part (lithography) is a hard part but it’s not even close to the biggest hard part. Thus, why semiconductor processes are differentiated in the first place.
Re:TSMC's Arizona Plant to Start Making Advanced Chips by MangoCoffee on Saturday December 28, 2024 @12:54AM (#42528926)
Plus, ASML's EUV machines for TSMC are different from those for Samsung or Intel. Each order is tailored to the buyer's specifications.

TSMC's manufacturing process using ASML EUV machines is different from Intel or Samsung.

People think you just buy an EUV machine, and you can start printing money. Far from it.

Re:TSMC's Arizona Plant to Start Making Advanced Chips by ryao on Saturday December 28, 2024 @01:14AM (#42529002)
Presumably, one could license IBM’s 2nm research, buy the equipment and try doing 2nm fabrication. That is what Rapidus is doing.