Trade and Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang, left, poses with ASM CEO Benjamin Loh at the Plaza hotel in Seoul on February 2 after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the Dutch semiconductor equipment maker's $100 million investment plan to build a new factory and expand its R&D center in South Korea. [Courtesy of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy]
The ministry said that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with ASM on the latter's investment plan in Korea. The MOU was initialed between Trade and Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang and ASM CEO Benjamin Loh at a Seoul hotel on February 2.
Under the MOU, the world's No.1 semiconductor equipment supplier plans to carry out its $100 investment project here through 2025. ASM is to make a final decision this year on the project to construct a second factory in Korea to produce equipment for atomic layer deposition, which is required for producing chips. It will also decide on how to expand ASM's R&D center here.
ASM currently operates a factory in Hwaseong, south of Seoul.
The ministry said ASM's investment commitment will help South Korea to have stable semiconductor supply chains and increase exports. It promised to provide support for ASM to smoothly implement its investment project here.
