World-Leading Lithography Equipment Company ASML Invests 240 Billion Won in Dongtan

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon (sixth from the left) attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the ASML semiconductor cluster held on the 16th in Hwaseong Dongtan and pressed the groundbreaking button together with officials.

[Asia Economy (Hwaseong) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The world's largest semiconductor 'EUV lithography equipment' company, Dutch ASML, is investing 240 billion KRW in Dongtan, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Lithography equipment is a device that engraves circuits on blank masks using extreme ultraviolet light. EUV equipment can only be produced by ASML.

Gyeonggi Province announced that on the 16th, one year after signing an investment agreement in November last year between Gyeonggi Province, Hwaseong City, and ASML, promising investment and regional win-win cooperation such as nurturing future talent in the semiconductor sector, ASML Korea held an investment agreement ceremony.

ASML Korea is a cluster that integrates a parts remanufacturing facility (regeneration center), education center, and experience center on a 16,000㎡ site in Dongtan 2 Urban Support Facility land. The goal is to complete construction by December 2024. A total of 300 new jobs are expected. This cluster is the largest among ASML’s overseas branches.

ASML Korea will expand the parts remanufacturing (regeneration) business, a parts circulation method, and strengthen collaboration with innovative semiconductor companies in the province.

The parts remanufacturing center was first established in Korea by ASML Korea in 2019 as the first among global corporations and has been successfully operated, leading to its expansion. As a result, major equipment parts that were previously supplied from the Netherlands headquarters can now be repaired and supplied locally, significantly reducing parts procurement waiting time and logistics volume.

Additionally, through the operation of the education center and experience center, ASML will provide training for domestic and international ASML employees and client companies' equipment experts, including extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology. It will also develop university-industry cooperation programs with domestic universities and support local talent education.

ASML started in 1984 in Veldhoven, Netherlands, with about 30 employees and has become a company with unrivaled core technology in lithography. As of 2021, it has 37,500 employees in 16 countries worldwide and records annual sales of 25 trillion KRW, making it the world's largest semiconductor equipment company. ASML Korea was established in 1996 and has business sites in four domestic locations: Hwaseong, Icheon, Pyeongtaek, and Cheongju in Chungcheongbuk-do.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon attended the groundbreaking ceremony at the ASML Korea new headquarters site located on Dongtan-ro, Hwaseong City, and expressed his welcome, saying, "Today’s groundbreaking of the ASML semiconductor cluster gives me confidence in a new momentum for creating a new ecosystem for Korean semiconductors, joint ventures with the Netherlands, and the opportunity to leap forward as a global semiconductor hub. Gyeonggi Province is the center of semiconductors. It is a very joyful day."

He added, "Gyeonggi Province has achieved the great feat of attracting and receiving investments from the world’s top 1 to 4 semiconductor equipment companies, including ASML, Applied Materials, Lam Research, and Tokyo Electron, for next-generation research institutes. With the groundbreaking of the ASML semiconductor cluster, a new ecosystem for Korean semiconductors has been created. I am confident that Gyeonggi Province will have the opportunity to leap forward as a semiconductor hub."

Peter Wennink, ASML Chairman, responded, "ASML is committed to the development of the semiconductor industry," and said, "We look forward to seeing the fruits of future growth and nurturing top talent through the Hwaseong campus."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.