Air Liquide announces close to 200 million US dollars in investment in two advanced material production centers in Taiwan and South Korea. The investment aims to accelerate the development and manufacturing of new advanced materials while increasing reliability and improving the sustainability of its supply chain by localizing the production close to their semiconductor customers.
The investment, reflecting key electronic customer commitments, further enhances Air Liquide’s ability, through its affiliate Air Liquide Advanced Materials, to support the manufacturing of advanced technology nodes that enable next-generation electronics applications in Artificial Intelligence, automotive, cloud computing, and other semiconductor technologies.
These facilities are designed to be in close proximity to strategic customers in order to accelerate innovation through close collaboration, speed to solution, and ability to ramp to full production in a safe, reliable, and high-quality manner. Air Liquide’s new advanced materials production facilities will be modular, flexible, and incorporate digital quality control systems able to meet the constantly evolving needs of its customers. The facilities are expected to start production in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
Air Liquide Advanced Materials is the industry leader in materials for deposition and etch processes. With ten Advanced Materials centers around the world, Air Liquide is strategically located in all major semiconductor hubs, close to the industry leaders. Its enScribeTM product line of innovative etch materials enables sustainability through performance, addressing technical challenges and reducing the overall environmental footprint of semiconductor manufacturing process.
Michael J. Graff, Executive Vice President, Air Liquide Group, said: “We are pleased to further develop our collaboration with key semiconductor leaders, with whom we have been partners for more than 20 years. This investment also testifies of the confidence our electronics customers have in the long-term market trend, and in Air Liquide’s capacity to provide innovative and tailor-made solutions in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. Buoyed by the digital revolution, Electronics remains a dynamic growth driver which will contribute to Air Liquide’s strategic plan ADVANCE.”