Headlines
Analysis
Precision makes headlines, productivity wins markets
Five immersion scanners this year, twenty next year. Speculation about an imminent wave of Chinese lithography systems is causing turbulence in the stock market. In the industry itself, however, there’s little reason for alarm.
Opinion
TSMC waits, Intel pays for high-NA EUV
It’s only a matter of time before TSMC starts ordering high-NA tools, is ASML’s message. Once the technology reaches full maturity, high-NA will become more cost-effective than low-NA multiple patterning.
Analysis
Joining French OSAT initiative offers opportunities for Nexperia
Nexperia should become a shareholder in Tessalia. Investing in the French advanced packaging initiative would strengthen Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem while giving the planned Dutch panel-level OSAT a significant head start.
Editorial
You can’t address AI’s risks by banning ASML’s exports
Only international agreements can put meaningful guardrails on AI.
Editorial
Besi’s blue ocean is slowly turning redder
As hybrid bonding matures, a wave of consolidation is bound to follow, and Besi will eventually have to share the pie.
Background
Besi leads hybrid-bonding race, with twenty players chasing
Everyone is piling into hybrid bonding, the holy grail for stacking chips. Twenty platforms are now in development worldwide. Yet, Besi remains confident about its lead.
News
IBM charts a path to A7 CFET chips
Big Blue’s latest research chip demonstrates a route to vertically stacked transistors.
Top job
Events
Courses
Background
Why architecture matters more than ever in the age of AI
Applying AI with an architectural mindset makes it a genuine force multiplier. Applying it without one makes it a complexity multiplier.
Background
“Stakeholder management starts on day one”
Software projects often bring together globally operating teams, parallel workstreams and technical dependencies within a single development process. Dries Moors, software project leader at NXP, recognizes the importance of stakeholder management in aligning teams, priorities and interdependencies, and enrolled in a course at High Tech Institute.
Background
High-NA tool: check. Process: check. Chips: not quite yet.
Compared to the transition from immersion to EUV lithography, moving from low-NA to high-NA should be easy. Right?
Video
Hamed Sadeghian’s take on systems engineering
How does Hamed Sadeghian, the CEO of Nearfield Instruments, one of the most successful Dutch deep-tech players, view systems engineering? Bits&Chips asked him.
News
EU doesn’t give up on leading-edge manufacturing ambitions
The Chips Act 2.0 proposal outlines a series of strategic projects ranging from a sub-2-nanometer fab and European AI processors to memory manufacturing and advanced chip design.
Editorial
The EU Chips Act: better than nothing
Muddling through is the best you can hope for in the EU.
Background
Beyond EUV: Blue-X explores sub-13.5nm lithography
An international consortium is exploring whether semiconductor lithography can eventually move to an even shorter wavelength.