ASML Korea has opened an integrated training centre that can train 4,000 people a year. Lithography equipment company ASML Korea said on Sunday it opened the "Global Training Center Korea" at its Hwaseong campus.

The centre integrates two training centres previously operated at the existing Hwaseong office and in Yongin into Building B of the Hwaseong campus. It spans 3,100 square metres. It has built infrastructure to provide ongoing training on advanced lithography equipment as equipment operation becomes more complex due to advances in semiconductor processes. It is equipped with DUV and EUV tools and modules, as well as a cleanroom, and will serve as a base for training CS engineers and advancing technology in South Korea's semiconductor industry.

ASML earlier opened the "Hands On Academy" in South Korea in 2010 as a training facility to develop engineers' capabilities. It opened its first global EUV training centre at its Dongtan headquarters in 2018, and in 2023 it expanded further by adding a global training centre in Yongin specialising in training for Advanced EUV equipment.

Nam-yoon Kim (김남윤), manager of Global Training Center Korea, said that about 4,000 people a year, including ASML and customer trainees, will receive training at the centre. He said trainees can quickly access high-quality training in South Korea, reducing time and costs and providing an important foundation for enhancing engineers' capabilities and expertise in line with the pace of advances in semiconductor technology.

The centre has more than 20 classrooms and 25 dedicated instructors on site. It offers more than 130 training programmes, including Fab ready2, an advanced EUV course. Along with DUV and EUV tools and modules and a cleanroom, it also has an EUV module that is in actual operation. Trainees receive hands-on training by handling parts under the same conditions as at fab sites.

It will later add training on High-NA EUV equipment, which is regarded as next-generation semiconductor manufacturing equipment, to its curriculum. It plans to continue providing lectures and hands-on training on advanced semiconductors to ASML CS engineers as well as customers.

Han-jong Choi (최한종), ASML Korea's chief executive officer, said semiconductor competitiveness is strengthened when the entire ecosystem's technology and talent capabilities rise together, not only through the efforts of individual companies. He said ASML will expand training and practical infrastructure with Global Training Center Korea as a base to support customers' technological advancement, and will continue investing in cultivating specialised talent with sufficient education and training.