US startup Substrate has announced the development of a chipmaking tool that they claim can compete with the advanced lithography equipment produced by Dutch giant ASML. This represents a significant step in Substrate's ambitious plan to establish a US-based contract chip manufacturing business, aiming to rival TSMC in the production of cutting-edge AI chips. CEO James Proud intends to dramatically reduce chipmaking costs by creating tools at a fraction of the price of their competitors.
Lithography demands extreme precision, a challenge that has proven difficult even for large corporations. Currently, ASML stands as the sole company capable of mass-producing complex tools utilizing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light to create patterns on silicon wafers with high throughput. Substrate states they have developed a lithography version employing X-ray light, capable of printing features at resolutions comparable to ASML's most advanced chipmaking tools, which cost upwards of $400 million each. The company has reportedly conducted demonstrations at US National Laboratories and their own facilities in San Francisco, providing high-resolution images to showcase the tool's capabilities.
According to Stephen Streiffer, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and an expert in high-energy X-ray beams, this presents an opportunity for the US to reclaim its position in the market with a homegrown company. He views it as a nationally important endeavour and expresses confidence in Substrate's capabilities.
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