Dutch ASML pledges to enhance biz cooperation with Samsung, SK hynix

▲ South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech during a dinner meeting with Korean nationals at a hotel in Amsterdam on Dec. 11, 2023. Yoon arrived in the Netherlands for a four-day state visit earlier in the day. (Yonhap)

S Korea-ASML cooperation

Dutch ASML pledges to enhance biz cooperation with Samsung, SK hynix

By Kang Yoon-seung

SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) -- The Netherlands-based ASML, a leading chipmaking equipment company, plans to expand business cooperation with South Korean chipmakers in line with Seoul's efforts to establish a "semiconductor alliance" with the European nation, the industry ministry said Wednesday.

The Dutch company plans to invest around 1 trillion won (US$761 million) with Samsung Electronics Co. to establish a next-generation research facility of ultra-fine processing technology for cutting-edge chips in South Korea, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

ASML will also collaborate with South Korea's No. 2 chipmaker, SK hynix Inc., to explore methods of reducing energy consumption for extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, crucial for the production of advanced chips.

The announcement came as President Yoon Suk Yeol is on a four-day visit to the Netherlands, vowing to upgrade the two countries' relations to a "semiconductor alliance."

Yoon visited the headquarters of ASML in Veldhoven on Tuesday (Dutch time), together with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Chairman Chey Tae-won.

Separately, Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun signed a memorandum of understanding with his Dutch counterpart to establish an academy for cutting-edge semiconductor technology, according to the ministry.

The academy will offer courses for students from Eindhoven University of Technology and South Korean institutions.

"The collaboration between South Korea, a leading chip manufacturer, and the Netherlands, a prominent chip equipment producer, will not only strengthen the global semiconductor supply chain but also make significant contributions to technological innovation," Ahn said.

The trade minister noted that the cooperation between Samsung and ASML will help South Korea gain an upper hand in the industry amid the intensifying competition.

"We hope that SK hynix Inc. and ASML succeed in developing the joint technology to establish a more eco-friendly ecosystem for chip equipment," he added.

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