A new alliance between ASML and South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix is intended to fight against the existing reliance on China in the chip industry. Together they will construct a research lab for advanced chip technologies in South Korea. The cooperation was announced during South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the Netherlands.
Within the cooperation, for which about 700 million euros will be invested, the three companies will jointly establish a research lab for chip technology in South Korea. For ASML, this will be the first research center outside the Netherlands.
The research lab, which will be managed by Samsung, will focus mainly on developing high-performance processor technology. These chips can then be produced using ASML’s high-performance EUV chip production machines.
The other South Korean chip manufacturer, SK Hynix, is participating in the project by working with ASML to reduce the energy consumption of its EUV machines.
Fist against China
ASML sees the project more as a collaboration, while the South Korean companies emphasize that the deal is a “strategic alliance” in the field of chip technology. Regardless, the cooperation should ensure that the South Korean tech companies can further develop their own developments in processors, memory, solid state storage and SoCs.
In addition, the cooperation is also intended to ensure that the production of processors can take place reliably (worldwide) and is not too dependent on or linked to China’s influence. Especially this last thought should of course be music to the ears of the US.
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Visit to clean room ASML
During the visit, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and King Willem-Alexander went to ASML in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. Here both were given access to the clean room environment where the chip production machines are produced; the ‘sacred heart’ of the chip machine manufacturer.
Executive chair Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix chairman Chey Tae-won were also in the entourage. Whether they were also allowed to visit ASML’s clean room is not known.
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