ASML’s new CEO is revealed as his first visit to a wafer fab

Latest update time：2024-01-09

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ASML, which plays a key equipment supplier in the field of advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes, is rumored to have its CEO-designate, Christophe Fouquet, leading company executives to visit Taiwan in the near future. It is rumored in the supply chain that ASML will visit TSMC and related supply chains. Manufacturers discuss next-generation EUV equipment.

ASML management personally visited TSMC. TSMC has not confirmed whether it is an order for the new "High-NA EUV" (high numerical aperture extreme ultraviolet lithography system). However, TSMC will explore various possibilities, including betting in the field of advanced packaging.

The legal person pointed out that the cost of High-NA EUV exceeds US$300 million. Based on the cost-benefit balance, TSMC is not eager to adopt it for the time being. The main reason is that the construction of factories in the United States is imminent. It is estimated that future capital expenditures will be significantly tilted towards overseas factory expansion.

Under the U.S. chip ban, ASML stopped shipping EUV to China in 2019. After further pressure from the U.S., the company recently canceled shipments of some deep ultraviolet lithography equipment (DUV) to China.

Fouquet joined ASML in 2008 and has held various management positions. He is currently ASML's executive vice president and chief commercial officer. He will succeed CEO Peter Wennink in April. How to maintain ASML's market leadership while maintaining sales performance amid tense relations between the United States and China has become the biggest challenge after Fukai took over.

Peter Wen will retire when his term expires. Since becoming CEO in July 2013, the company's revenue has increased fourfold, its stock price has soared tenfold, and it has made four acquisitions during his tenure, allowing ASML to dominate the photolithography equipment market. It is an important tool for manufacturing microchips for smartphones and cars.

It is rumored that the new head of ASML and current senior executives will launch an Asia tour to visit customers in Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and other places. Among them, it is reported that the first stop will be in Taiwan to visit TSMC, and may also meet with supply chain partners Jiadeng. , Fanxuan, etc. to further deepen the cooperative relationship.

TSMC did not respond to relevant rumors yesterday. It is understood that ASML’s largest customer is TSMC. TSMC accounts for 65% of the global extreme ultraviolet (EUV) machine operating volume. The remaining customers include memory majors Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Japan. Rapidus, Intel USA, etc.

ASML announced in November last year that it planned to appoint Chief Commercial Officer Christophe Fouquet as President and CEO. This appointment is expected to be notified at the annual shareholders meeting on April 24 this year. Current President and CEO Peter Wen (Peter Wennink) and Martin van den Brink will retire at that time. Fouquet said in a previous interview that the company fully supports the policy and will not reverse it; outsiders expect him to continue to implement Peter Wen's policy.

Although the U.S.-China technology war and geopolitical issues have made ASML the first to bear the brunt of semiconductor equipment, the industry believes that ASML will still benefit from the business opportunities brought about by the active expansion of production capacity in various target regional markets outside mainland China, which is also a semiconductor equipment manufacturer. With the short supply chain, local services will become more important.

The industry believes that from the perspective of ASML's development, major semiconductor manufacturers are actively deploying in markets such as Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, and even the United States and Europe, which will bring more development opportunities.

Statistics show that Taiwan was also ASML's largest stronghold in Asia last year. It has four customer support centers in Taiwan, including two smart manufacturing centers and two global technical training centers, with more than 4,500 employees.

In addition, the United States is actively wooing its allies to strengthen export control measures, extending from EUV equipment to deep ultraviolet light (DUV), to prevent and plug export control loopholes, and to prevent related technologies from being used in the military industry. The industry believes that the relevant measures will have little actual impact on ASML, and ASML also stated that it will only affect a small number of customers in mainland China.

The industry believes that in terms of the development of ASML, major semiconductor manufacturers are actively deploying in markets such as Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, and even the United States and Europe, which will bring more development opportunities.

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