Pat Gelsinger's EUV lithography gig gets $150M wink from Uncle Sam

The US Department of Commerce has signed a preliminary letter of intent to provide up to $150 million to xLight, a Palo Alto-based startup led by former Intel chief Pat Gelsinger, that is working on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.

The Commerce Department's CHIPS Research and Development Office proposes dishing out the federal incentives to xLight under the CHIPS and Science Act.

If the funding goes ahead, it will cover the development and demonstration of a free-electron laser (FEL) prototype as an alternative light source for EUV lithography, a process used in the manufacturing of the most advanced chips.

The Department of Commerce would receive $150 million of equity in xLight in return, in line with the Trump administration's recent policy of taking a stake in companies, such as Gelsinger's former employer Intel, that receive government subsidies.

Announcing the offer, the agency noted that EUV lithography has emerged ...