Dutch producer of chip-making gear ASML will collectively invest 1 trillion South Korean received ($760 million) with South Korean chipmaker Samsung Electronics to build a plant that develops cutting-edge semiconductor processing expertise in South Korea.
The announcement got here as South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is in the Netherlands for a four-day go to which seeks to forge a “semiconductor alliance” between the 2 international locations.
ASML is the world’s solely maker of maximum ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines which might be required to manufacture probably the most advanced chips reminiscent of these in the newest Apple iPhones that are manufactured by Taiwan’s TSMC.
“The technological innovation led by ASML is turning into a strong driving drive of the Fourth Industrial Revolution world wide, and Dutch semiconductor corporations reminiscent of ASML and ASM are constructing new services for manufacturing, R&D, and expertise coaching in Korea,” South Korea’s presidential office said Tuesday.
Yoon visited the headquarters of ASML on Tuesday with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, and toured the manufacturing website of next-generation EUV machines.
‘Turning level’ for Korea-Netherlands ties
Samsung is the world’s largest maker for dynamic random-access reminiscence chips, that are used in shopper units reminiscent of smartphones and computer systems. South Korean chipmakers depend on ASML’s EUV machines to produce sooner and extra environment friendly chips than opponents.
The assertion additionally mentioned ASML will collaborate with South Korean chip big SK Hynix, the world’s second-largest DRAM chipmaker, to scale back energy utilization and prices for EUVs by means of hydrogen fuel recycling expertise.
Ahead of his go to to the Netherlands, Yoon told media outlet AFP that semiconductors are “the linchpin of Korea-Netherlands cooperation.”
“The Netherlands is residence to ASML, which produces the lithography gear that makes semiconductors, and for years the 2 international locations have labored collectively ‘in an exemplary method,” the president mentioned at the moment.
“[This] will mark an important turning level for the Korea-Netherlands semiconductor alliance.”
He mentioned this go to to the Netherlands will assist each international locations “set up a well-organized institutional framework that can intensively deal with world semiconductor provide chains,” whilst semiconductors emerge as strategic belongings and geopolitical dangers surrounding world provide chains develop.