Air Liquide Group yesterday unveiled its first advanced materials plant in Taiwan to supply materials used in the production of 3-nanometer chips and more advanced chips driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.
The company has continued to strengthen its presence in Asia by ramping up investment in Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Singapore along with customers’ growth in the region, it said.
In addition to the new plant in Taichung, the company operates 11 advanced materials plants overseas. Air Liquide has been present in Taiwan for almost 40 years, operating 54 total plants.
Photo: Reuters
The new facility utilizes about 30 percent of the site’s capacity, leaving significant room for growth and expansion, Air Liquide’s Innovation and Technology vice president Armelle Levieux said.
It is scheduled to start small volume production next month, the company said.
The plant would supply local chipmakers with liquid and solid semiconductor precursors used in the layer deposition, it added.
Air Liquide chose Taichung to build the new plant due to its central location, synergies with existing operations and proximity to key customers, it said.
While the company has production centers in the US and Japan and exports its products to different markets, customers have in recent years requested the company to keep material supply close to their production sites to enhance supply chain resilience due to geopolitical risks, Air Liquide said.
The company has been investing in various markets to establish local factories and gradually integrate its supply chains with its customers, it said.
Air Liquide said the US and Israeli war with Iran is causing a short-term or likely medium-term supply constraint of helium.
With prior experience in managing helium disruptions, the company is monitoring the situation, maintains ongoing discussions with customers and employs a diversified sourcing strategy to ensure supply security, it said.
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