TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML announced Monday that it plans to hire 1,000 new employees in Taiwan, increasing its local workforce to more than 5,000 people, or about 10% of its global staff.
At a media briefing, ASML Vice President and Taiwan General Manager Grace Wang (汪佳慧) said the country plays a key role in the global semiconductor ecosystem and that the company will continue expanding its local operations to strengthen support and services for customers, per CNA.
Headquartered in the Netherlands, ASML is the world’s only producer of extreme ultraviolet lithography systems, which are essential for manufacturing advanced semiconductors. Wang said the company plans to recruit additional workers to increase global equipment production capacity.
She said ASML operates eight factories worldwide, including facilities in Linkou and Tainan, while a new plant is under construction in New Taipei. Taiwan currently accounts for about 25.5% of the company’s global revenue, she said.
Wang also highlighted the company’s environmental, social, and governance initiatives, noting that ASML achieved greenhouse gas neutrality across its global manufacturing facilities and office buildings by the end of 2025. The company also achieved 100% renewable energy in its Taiwan operations, she said.
ASML has begun replacing some air freight shipments with sea freight to reduce carbon emissions. Wang said the company is also extending its carbon-reduction efforts beyond its own operations and into customers' manufacturing processes, with the long-term goal of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality across its entire value chain by 2040.
Addressing concerns about the energy consumption of EUV systems, Wang said the equipment helps customers reduce energy use per wafer by increasing production capacity and shortening process exposure times, per CNA.
She cited ASML’s flagship TWINSCAN NXE:3800E system as an example, saying its production capacity has increased from 220 wafers per hour to 230 wafers per hour. The company expects overall wafer output to increase by 50% by 2030.
Since 2018, energy consumption per wafer exposure for EUV equipment has fallen by 57%, Wang said.
She added that ASML is also promoting a circular economy strategy through equipment refurbishment and the repair and reuse of components to reduce waste and extend product lifecycles.
Since 2019, ASML Taiwan has refurbished more than 130 pieces of equipment and repaired and reused nearly 10,000 parts, supporting semiconductor industry expansion while improving resource efficiency and sustainability.
