By contrast, decoupling the global semiconductor supply chain is “extremely difficult and expensive,” if not impossible.
Any single country will face challenges in realizing the dream of semiconductor self-sufficiency, said Christophe Fouquet, vice president and chief operating officer of the world's most valuable chip foundry equipment maker.
“At ASML, we don’t believe that separation is possible. People will realize that there is only one way to succeed in this industry, and that is to collaborate,” Fouquet said.
The comments by ASML's senior leaders come as many major economies such as the US, Japan, the European Union, India and China are pushing domestic semiconductor production in the hope of achieving chip autonomy.
According to Fouquet, the secret to ASML's success is its long-standing partnerships with key global suppliers such as Zeiss (which supplies optical components) and Cymer (which supplies light sources in ultraviolet lithography machines), as well as support from major customers such as TSMC and Intel.
ASML is the world's exclusive maker of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines for advanced semiconductor equipment with chips below 7 nanometers. The mobile chips in the high-end iPhone 14 Pro and Nvidia's graphics processors are both built on 4nm technology, with the Dutch manufacturer's machines playing an indispensable role.
None of ASML’s competitors, including Nikon and Canon from Japan and Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment from China, are currently competitive in advanced lithography, while the United States does not even have a domestic company that produces this equipment.
While ASML is open to cross-border collaboration, it believes that some of the most complex components are better off with just one supplier. “The investment in Zeiss for EUV optics is huge. You can’t afford to do that spread out.”
Currently, the majority of ASML’s production is done at a single facility, which is also the company’s headquarters. Fouquet said it could retain the majority, 80% to 90%, of its production there until at least 2026.
ASML said it also works closely with other leading chip equipment makers, such as Tokyo Electron, Lam Research and Applied Materials, as machines need to be linked together to form a complete production line. The collaboration is carried out from the early stages of the R&D process, so there is a great deal of interdependence.
“We exchange necessary information with our partners. Dependence sometimes helps, otherwise companies get into trouble,” Fouquet shared.
(According to NikkeiAsia)
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