Netherlands-based semiconductor equipment supplier ASML Holding NV said yesterday that it is planning to hire an additional 1,000 people in Taiwan this year in response to growing demand from clients.
ASML vice president and ASML Taiwan general manager Grace Wang (汪佳慧) told reporters that ASML had previously planned to recruit 600 this year but that the plan had been adjusted upward.
ASML has a workforce of more than 4,500 in Taiwan, accounting for about 10 percent of its global total, Wang said.
Photo: CNA
This year’s recruitment campaign will focus on adding people in the customer support, manufacturing and supply chain domains to assist ASML clients in meeting their needs as they expand their operations as well as help ASML boost its own worldwide production capacity.
Wang said ASML operates eight factories around the world, including two in Taiwan: one in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口) and the other in Tainan, and it is also building a new facility in New Taipei City.
ASML’s Taiwan operations generate about 8.3 billion euros (US$9.66 billion) a year, representing about 25.5 percent of its global total, she said.
ASML’s Taiwan operations produce components and also assemble the company’s advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) machines for delivery to local clients.
Contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is believed to be one of the largest clients of ASML, using the Dutch company’s expensive EUV lithography machines to roll out high-end chips.
Wang also highlighted the role Taiwan has and will play in helping ASML reach its environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.
She said ASML achieved greenhouse gas neutrality at its facilities worldwide for scope 1 (own operations) and scope 2 (purchased energy) emissions last year, and was using 100 percent renewable energy for its Taiwan operations.
Taiwan has also been involved in the company’s push for a circular economy, Wang said. Since 2019, ASML Taiwan has completed the refurbishment of more than 130 pieces of equipment and the repair and reuse of nearly 10,000 parts, she added.
This has supported the semiconductor industry’s push to increase production capacity while ensuring that resources are used efficiently in a sustainable way, Wang said.
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