Pat Gelsinger Backs 13.5-Nanometer Successors to Revive Moore's Law at Playground Capital
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Jul 21
Pat Gelsinger Backs 13.5-Nanometer Successors to Revive Moore's Law at Playground Capital
1 articles · Updated · WIRED · Jul 21
Summary
Four months after leaving Intel, Pat Gelsinger said he joined Playground Capital to fund semiconductor startups that can “wake Moore’s law from its nap,” with lithography as his top bet.
13.5-nanometer light used in ASML systems is the current limit he wants to push past; he said xLight’s free-electron laser approach could move toward 5-, 4-, 3- and 2-nanometer wavelengths.
xLight was a key reason he joined Playground, and he has taken a board seat there, arguing the startup can improve ASML machines rather than compete directly with the Dutch lithography leader.
AI is driving the urgency: Gelsinger said the semiconductor industry, once targeting $1 trillion in revenue by 2030, is now on track to reach that level next year.
He tied chip innovation to power constraints, warning that AI winners will depend on energy capacity as much as hardware, while calling for more nuclear upgrades and far more efficient chips.
Can a VC-backed moonshot like free-electron lasers truly save Moore's Law from its physical limits?
With AI's insatiable energy demand, will local communities start blocking the data centers powering our future?
Is Big Tech's pivot to nuclear power a genuine energy solution or just an expensive greenwashing campaign?
U.S. Takes Equity Stake in xLight With $150M CHIPS Act Award: A New Era for Domestic EUV Lithography
Overview
The U.S. Department of Commerce, under the CHIPS and Science Act, has committed up to $150 million in incentives and taken an equity stake in xLight to strengthen domestic semiconductor capabilities and reassert leadership in advanced chipmaking. This strategic investment supports xLight’s innovative Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Free Electron Laser (FEL) system, which promises a major leap in chip fabrication by offering high availability and reliability for scanner fleets. By backing xLight’s technology, the U.S. aims to build a resilient domestic ecosystem and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains, marking a new era in American chip manufacturing.