Semiconductor equipment supplier ASML Holding NV yesterday overcame the first hurdle to build a NT$30 billion (US$948.6 million) manufacturing fab in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口) after receiving approval from the Urban Development Bureau.
The Netherlands-based company aims to start operation of the new facility in 2026 at the earliest, the bureau said in a statement yesterday.
The new factory would house about 2,000 employees, when ASML completes the first-phase construction three years from now, the bureau said.
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ASML is the sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet lithography tools to Taiwanese manufacturers, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), to produce advanced 3-nanometer and 5-nanometer chips.
ASML requires additional grants from the New Taipei City Government to go ahead with the company’s biggest investment in Taiwan, including passing an environmental impact assessment.
The city government said it would not be a time-consuming process as ASML’s new manufacturing fab would be in a redevelopment zone, supporting the city’s efforts to reach net zero emissions.
ASML’s new factory is to occupy 3.3 hectares of land. The factory aims to capture 12 tonnes of carbon a year by planting trees and adopting other approaches to reduce carbon emissions, the bureau said.
The city government aims to develop Linkou into a hub for artificial intelligence and smart technologies, with ASML being the first tech company to make Linkou its home, the bureau said.
The city plans to lure companies in the AI, 5G, big data and analytical areas to set up operations in Linkou, it added.
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