ASML CEO to visit Seoul next week

ASML Holding CEO Peter Wennink (left) and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong pose after their meeting at the Dutch company's headquarters in Veldhoven in June. (Samsung Electronics)

Dutch chip equipment giant ASML Holding’s CEO Peter Wennink will visit South Korea next week to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the company’s new Korean headquarters, located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, that aims to bolster responsiveness to local client demands.

Korea is home to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the world’s top two memory chipmakers, which take up more than 30 percent of ASML’s total sales.

For the new facilities, the Dutch firm will spend a total of 240 billion won ($170 million) by 2025. The 16,000-square-meter complex will consist of its Korean headquarters building, a remanufacturing center for its key products and a training center supporting local engineers.

A day before the groundbreaking event set to be held on Nov. 16, the visiting CEO will hold a press conference in Seoul to share more details of the new facilities and the company’s business outlook in the Korean market.

Close attention is also being paid to his possible meeting with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong. Along with TSMC and Intel, Samsung is one of the key buyers of ASML’s $160 million extreme ultraviolet lithography machine.

ASML is the sole producer of the EUV machine that is crucial to produce advanced chips for high-performance computing. Because of its scarce supply at about 50 units per year, chipmakers always compete to secure more orders.

The Samsung chief has maintained close ties with the ASML CEO. Upon his Europe trip in June, the two met at the Veldhoven headquarters, during which Lee was briefed on the NA-EUV system, the next-generation, upgraded EUV machine that is still in development.

By Lee Ji-yoon(jylee@heraldcorp.com)