Samsung, ASML expand partnership to introduce next-gen lithography by 2028
Samsung Electronics' Hwaseong plant in Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Chipmaker leads Series C fundraising round of France's Mistral AI
Samsung Electronics and semiconductor equipment giant ASML announced Tuesday that they will expand their strategic partnership on High NA extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, with Samsung planning to introduce the technology into DRAM mass production by 2028 for the first time in the industry.
The two companies said they will work together to accelerate the development and deployment of technologies that support the increasing performance and efficiency requirements of advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
Under their new agreement, Samsung said it plans to introduce ASML’s High NA EUV lithography into future DRAM by 2028.
ASML’s EXE:5000 in the High NA Lab in Veldhoven, the Netherlands / Courtesy of ASML
Semiconductors are made by projecting geometric circuit patterns onto a silicon wafer using light, in this case EUV. In EUV lithography, the circuit pattern is formed on a photomask, EUV light reflects off the mask and an optical system reduces the image and projects it onto the wafer.
As semiconductor technology advances, circuit patterns need to become increasingly fine. One way to achieve this is by increasing the numerical aperture (NA) of the optical system, a measure of how wide an angle of light the optical system can collect.
Like a larger camera lens capturing a sharper image, a higher NA lets the system collect light from wider angles and produce finer details in the projected pattern. Conventional lithography may require multiple exposures to create extremely fine lines, while High NA can achieve the same pattern in a single exposure, simplifying the manufacturing process.
Samsung said the introduction plan demonstrates its readiness for High NA technology to support advanced memory and logic chip applications. The company noted that High NA EUV is expected to extend the DRAM scaling road map, with improved resolution enabling process simplification and increased efficiency.
The logo of ASML is displayed at the company's booth at the 8th China International Import Expo in Shanghai, Nov. 5, 2025. Reuters-Yonhap
One drawback of High-NA EUV is that it exposes a smaller area of the wafer at a time. As a result, larger chips may need to be exposed in multiple sections and then stitched together on the wafer, adding an extra process called stitching.
To address this limitation, Samsung will join an industry initiative to advance next-generation 12-inch photomask technology, up from the current 6-inch standard.
Samsung said 12-inch masks used with High-NA EUV are expected to further improve fab productivity, reduce chipmaking costs and eliminate stitching constraints. The company added that it will work closely with industry partners to develop the required mask technologies and supporting infrastructure.
"Samsung is committed to maintaining leadership in advanced semiconductor manufacturing, including memory and foundry, through breakthrough technologies and strong partnerships,” said Young Hyun Jun, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman and Head of Device Solutions Division. “By further strengthening our collaboration with ASML, we are helping lay the foundation for the next generation of AI and semiconductor innovation.”
Advertisements for Mistral AI, the French artificial intelligence company, are displayed inside the Grand Central subway station in New York City, May 21. Reuters-Yonhap
Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics co-led a Series D funding round for Mistral AI, a leading European artificial intelligence model developer based in France.
Mistral AI said on its website that it has raised 3 billion euros ($3.49 billion) through the round, the largest equity fundraising ever completed by a private European tech company, leading to a company valuation of more than 21 billion euros after the investment.
Along with Samsung Electronics, Scaleup Europe Fund, and existing investor PSG Equity joined as co-leads of the round. Samsung Electronics did not disclose the amount it invested, but foreign news outlets suggested that the Korean company’s investment may reach 1 billion euros.
Mistral AI said the round will expand Mistral's frontier research by scaling its compute capacity for training powerful models, building out infrastructure and accelerating its commercial growth.
Mistral AI now operates across 20 countries and supports over 125 global enterprises’ AI transformation, including Airbus, ASML and HSBC. Its previous Series C funding round was led by ASML, whose 1.3 billion euro investment made the Dutch semiconductor equipment maker Mistral AI’s largest shareholder.