[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Peter Wennink, CEO of ASML, a Dutch semiconductor manufacturing equipment company known as the 'super Eul' of the semiconductor industry, predicted that the shortage of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, including the core Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, will continue for the next two years.
According to major foreign media on the 20th (local time), CEO Wennink said in an interview, "We plan to ship more semiconductor manufacturing equipment this year than last year, and even more next year than this year." He added, "Looking at the demand curve, the increase in production is insufficient, and production capacity needs to be increased by more than 50%, but that will take time." He also stated that ASML is reviewing ways to expand production capacity but has not yet finalized the scale of investment required.
ASML is called the 'super Eul' in the semiconductor industry because it is the only company in the world that can manufacture the crucial EUV equipment for ultra-fine semiconductor processes. EUV equipment has been increasingly introduced not only in foundries (semiconductor contract manufacturing) but also in memory semiconductor processes such as DRAM and NAND flash since last year, causing a surge in demand. However, the annual production volume was only 42 units last year, leading domestic companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, as well as Taiwan's TSMC and the US's Intel, to compete fiercely to secure these machines.
Especially after experiencing the semiconductor shortage crisis last year, manufacturers have announced large-scale investment plans one after another and are planning to build production facilities, making the procurement of equipment for these factories urgent. Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, who announced plans to build factories in the US and Europe this year, acknowledged that securing equipment is a bottleneck to expanding production capacity and reportedly contacted CEO Wennink directly and dispatched experts to ASML headquarters, according to foreign media.
CEO Wennink said, "At this point, supply is limited," but predicted that the issue will eventually be resolved over time. He noted that it takes at least two years for semiconductor manufacturers to complete construction, so the point at which equipment will be fully installed is expected to be three to four years from now. However, CEO Wennink also pointed out that Carl Zeiss, the German lens manufacturer supplying lenses for ASML equipment, must also increase production, but to do so, it needs to secure cleanrooms and obtain approval to build new factories, which will take at least 12 months or more to expand production capacity.
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