Dutch semiconductor company to make $200 mln expansion in US
The Connecticut facility is receiving funds to ameliorate the semiconductor shortage in the US.
On Tuesday, a Netherlands-based semiconductor manufacturing company, ASML, announced that it will be making a $200 million expansion to its largest plant in Connecticut, United States.
"Today, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves joined Peter Wennink, CEO and President of Dutch Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturer ASML, at ASML’s Veldhoven headquarters to announce ASML’s $200 million expansion of their Wilton, Connecticut facility," the release said.
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"ASML is the latest international company to make a significant investment in American semiconductor manufacturing during the Biden-Harris administration."
The announcement came as the Bipartisan Innovation Act, which is a legislation that would invest $52 billion in research, development, and production of semiconductors in the US, is progressing in Congress to come into effect.
ASML Wilton is the largest research, development, and manufacturing site for the company, ASML, in the US. The facility has over 2,000 employees and $100 million which have already been invested in clean rooms, laboratories, and offices, according to the release.
The release revealed that the premises are already a major design, engineering, and production center, so developing machines is a necessary pursuit to create advanced chips to meet increasing global demand.
"The expansion is expected to create 1,000 new jobs over the next two years," the release added.
Deputy Secretary Don Graves visited ASML on his trip to Europe, with the aim to strengthen transatlantic cooperation and engage with public and private sector partners on issues that have been pressing the market, such as supply chain relief, and emerging technologies, and export controls.
Semiconductor shortage has been a worrying issue for world tech industries. In January, the US Commerce Department raised the alarm that American corporations have an average of fewer than five days' worth of semiconductors on hand, putting them at risk of production shutdowns if supply is disrupted.
Since then, the White House has been encouraging American companies to invest in domestic semiconductor facilities, and Biden praised Intel's proposal to spend $20 billion on a new chip manufacturing plant in the United States.