Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Korea moves closer to becoming global semiconductor hub
ASML CEO Peter Wennink, third from right, Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon, center, and other officials attend the groundbreaking ceremony for ASML's local repair and training facility in Hwaseong, Wednesday. Courtesy of ASML
By Baek Byung-yeul
Dutch company ASML breaks ground for repair, training facilities in Hwaseong
By Baek Byung-yeul
Korea is moving to become a hub for the semiconductor industry, as global chip companies are building their facilities here one after another. As part of its efforts, ASML, the Netherlands-based semiconductor equipment maker, held a groundbreaking ceremony to build its facility in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday.
ASML is the only company in the world that can produce extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) equipment, an essential tool for manufacturing ultra-fine chips smaller than 7 nanometers. Korea's top memory chip makers ― Samsung Electronics and SK hynix ― are some of the biggest clients of the Dutch company, as Korea accounted for over 30 percent of its total sales as of 2021.
The Dutch company said it will invest 240 billion won ($181.1 million) by 2024 to construct its repair center and engineer training center in the city.
Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon welcomed the Dutch company's decision to build its facility in Hwaseong, saying the Dutch company has brought great momentum to Korea, which aims to become a global semiconductor hub.
“With the start of construction of ASML's semiconductor cluster, we are convinced of the new momentum of creating a new ecosystem for Korea's semiconductor industry. Gyeonggi Province is now a center of the semiconductor industry,” Kim said during the groundbreaking ceremony.
The governor added that Gyeonggi Province has now attracted all of the world's top four largest chip equipment companies.
“Gyeonggi Province has attracted and received investments from the world's four largest chip equipment companies ― Applied Materials, Lam Research and Tokyo Electron as well as ASML,” he said.
ASML CEO Peter Wennink expressed his gratitude to the Korean government as construction of the new facility began here.
“ASML is not only offering equipment and technology services, but also investing to support customers in the long run, and is also making diversified efforts to develop the semiconductor industry. Through the new campus in Hwaseong, we hope that our efforts will bear fruit by fostering future growth and the top professionals,” the CEO said in a Korean statement released by ASML Korea.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said ASML's new Hwaseong facility will greatly contribute to strengthening the country's strategy to becoming a semiconductor powerhouse nation. In July, the government vowed full support to make the country a global superpower in the chip industry by offering more tax incentives and financial support to chip companies and nurturing 150,000 experts in the field.