Icheon: South Korea's No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix Inc. announced on Wednesday the adoption of advanced production equipment at its domestic memory production line to expedite the development of next-generation chips. The company has installed the industry's first High Numerical Aperture Extreme Ultraviolet (High NA EUV) lithography system at its M16 chip fabrication plant, situated at its primary production base in Icheon, south of Seoul.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the High NA EUV is an advanced lithography system that enhances resolution by utilizing a larger numerical aperture, which measures an optical system's ability to gather light. The equipment, manufactured by the Netherlands-based ASML, offers a 40 percent improvement in numerical aperture and 1.7 times higher precision, as stated by the company. SK hynix projects that this system will fast-track the development of its next-generation memory products.

"We expect the addition of the critical infrastructure to bring our technological vision we have been pursuing into reality," remarked Cha Seon-yong, the head of the company's research and development. "We aim to enhance our leadership in the artificial intelligence (AI) memory space with the cutting-edge technology required by the fast-growing AI and next-generation computing markets," Cha added.

Samsung Electronics Co., SK hynix's larger South Korean competitor, also adopted the High NA EUV solution in March for its memory and foundry production.