Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon met with Benjamin Loh, CEO of ASM, a global leading semiconductor process equipment manufacturer, to discuss cooperation in the semiconductor sector.
On the 28th, Governor Kim held a meeting at the provincial office with Benjamin Loh, CEO of ASM, a world-renowned atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment company based in the Netherlands. He said, "A few days ago, we announced the AI Knowledge Industry Belt (Buk Suwon Technovalley). It includes various AI-based businesses including semiconductors, and I believe there will be many opportunities for cooperation with ASM in the future, which is expected to create greater synergy."
In response, Benjamin Loh, CEO of ASM, said, "We have been doing business in Gyeonggi Province since the 1990s, and we appreciate the support over the years. We are fortunate to be able to collaborate with the world's largest semiconductor companies here. I respect the vision of creating an AI-centered industrial belt. We also believe AI will change everything."
Also present at the meeting were Hichem M‘Saad, ASM’s next CEO designate, Kim Yong-gil, Chairman of ASM Korea, and Onny Jalink, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Korea.
Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon (center) is taking a commemorative photo with Benjamin Lo (left), CEO of ASM, a global leader in semiconductor atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment, at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office on the 28th.
ASM is a global leader in semiconductor equipment headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands. It employs more than 4,500 people across 16 countries and holds over 2,900 patents in the semiconductor equipment field.
In October 2022, Governor Kim Dong-yeon met with Paul Verhagen, CFO of ASM, and Kim Yong-gil, Chairman of ASM Korea, to request ASM’s investment in Gyeonggi Province. Subsequently, ASM decided to invest in Korea and began construction in May 2023 of a semiconductor atomic layer deposition thin film plasma coating technology (ALD) research and manufacturing complex facility in Hwaseong City. Scheduled for completion in May 2025, this facility will be the only ASM global site combining research and development functions with manufacturing facilities, and a significant portion of materials and components will be produced in collaboration with small and medium-sized enterprises within Gyeonggi Province.
Meanwhile, Governor Kim Dong-yeon encouraged 336 Dutch scouts participating in the 2023 World Scout Jamboree while they stayed at the Gyeonggi Fire Service Academy, together with Onny Jalink, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Korea.
Gyeonggi Province expects that this meeting will serve as a catalyst to expand exchange and cooperation with the Netherlands in various fields including semiconductors.
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