ASML Completes Hwaseong Campus... CEO Fouquet: "A Space Symbolizing Trust and Innovation with Korea" (Comprehensive)

Establishment of Reuse & Repair Center for Parts
Securing Stable Supply of Photolithography Equipment Components
Local Training, Repair, and Verification Now Possible

ASML, the world's largest photolithography equipment manufacturer, has completed its new headquarters in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, officially designating Korea as a core technology hub in Asia after Taiwan. The facility is designed as a "technology laboratory" equipped with advanced photolithography equipment operations, training, and remanufacturing capabilities, and is expected to have a direct impact on strengthening the next-generation microfabrication competitiveness of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

On November 12, ASML held an opening ceremony for its new headquarters at the Dongtan General Industrial Complex in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Christopher Fouquet, CEO of ASML, visited Korea to attend the ceremony. Key technology executives from both Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix were also present, including Song Jaehyuk, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Head of the Semiconductor Research Center at Samsung Electronics, and Cha Sunyong, President and Head of the Future Technology Research Institute at SK Hynix. From the government, Kang Gamchan, Director General for Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, attended the event. After the ceremony, CEO Fouquet reportedly met with Jun Younghyun, Vice Chairman and Head of the Device Solutions Division at Samsung Electronics.

CEO Fouquet stated, "The decision to establish a campus in Hwaseong was a highly strategic one," adding, "The new Hwaseong campus is a symbolic space that demonstrates ASML's commitment to trust, innovation, sustainability, and growth with our Korean customers." He also emphasized, "Being located in Hwaseong, where major semiconductor manufacturers are based, enables closer collaboration and faster technical support," and noted, "As semiconductor manufacturing processes become more complex, this proximity will also contribute to more efficient technology transfer."

Choi Hanjong, CEO of ASML Korea, remarked, "It is deeply meaningful to open the Hwaseong campus on the 30th anniversary of ASML Korea," adding, "Building on the achievements accomplished together with the Korean semiconductor industry, we will do our utmost to make ASML Korea a source of pride for all employees."

ASML invested a total of 240 billion won to construct the new headquarters, aiming to strengthen cooperation with domestic semiconductor companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Headquartered in the Netherlands, ASML is the exclusive supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photolithography equipment. Construction of the ASML Hwaseong campus began in November 2022, and the site, covering 16,000 square meters in the Dongtan 2 Urban Support Facility District, now houses a Reuse & Repair (R&R) facility, a training center, and office buildings. The significance of the campus lies in its role as a "technology complex hub" where advanced technology experimentation and equipment operation training are conducted simultaneously, rather than simply serving as office space.

The training center operates over 100 programs annually for approximately 2,000 trainees, including both ASML employees and customers. In addition to advanced EUV and DUV equipment, the center will also provide training for future High NA EUV equipment. The R&R Center contributes to ASML's ESG practices by promoting resource circulation and carbon reduction. By enabling rapid repair response and the reuse of repair parts, the center increases efficiency, and plans are in place to gradually expand equipment maintenance and parts repair. Additionally, ASML is actively implementing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles on-site, such as supporting public transportation and pedestrian commuters and restricting the use of disposable products.

Until now, the domestic semiconductor industry had to send engineers to ASML's headquarters in the Netherlands or to Taiwan for advanced photolithography equipment procurement and technical training. Now, however, training, repairs, and verification can be conducted locally. An industry official commented, "ASML is an essential partner because it manufactures equipment indispensable for companies engaged in microfabrication," adding, "This new headquarters will provide a foundation for domestic semiconductor companies to pursue technological cooperation with ASML more quickly and efficiently."

ASML first entered Korea in 1996 and established the ASML Korea headquarters and technical support center in Dongtan in 2016, but its focus was primarily on customer support and sales functions. The new Hwaseong headquarters replaces the previous office and represents the company's first "advanced technology-type headquarters," expanding both its scale and role. With facilities enabling High NA EUV photolithography training, maintenance, and remanufacturing, the new campus is expected to elevate Korea as ASML's core technology hub in Asia, following Taiwan.