The close relationship between ASML and Eindhoven’s technical univesity (TU/e) will be strengthened. Joint research should ensure the Brainport Eindhoven region’s key role for the next ten years as well.
For this new research, PhD students will be prepared by both parties for work in the chip sector. Focus areas include plasma physics, mechatronics, optics and AI. The research fields mentioned have a direct impact on ASML’s development of lithography scanners, which would not have been possible without breakthroughs in them.
Roger Dassen, ASML CFO, stated, “With this agreement we are expanding our long-term collaboration with TU/e. TU/e is the purveyor of talent in the region and an important academic partner. The collaboration will increase the availability of PhDs, which our industry has a strong need for, and will provide scientific insights that are relevant to the chip industry and society. With this agreement we are investing in science in the Netherlands and in training experts.”
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Response to Beethoven
In total, “almost a hundred” PhD students will conduct research over the next ten years through this collaboration. ASML describes it as a win-win: on the one hand, Dutch society benefits from the extra knowledge and technology, while the students themselves can become the specialists the chip industry is crying out for.
Although collaborations between ASML and TU/e have existed for quite some time, the move also promises a new financial commitment. In total, ASML is going to invest 80 million euros in research over the next decade. In turn, TU/e will commit more than a hundred million euros to a clean room for chip research.
The announcement cannot be seen separately from the earlier commitments made by the government and the municipality of Eindhoven. Together they are making 2.5 billion euros available for investment in the region, among other things aimed at improving accessibility and additional housing.
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