Dutch semiconductor company ASM announces $320 million investment in Scottsdale

PHOENIX — Dutch semiconductor equipment company ASM is investing more than $320 million to expand its U.S. headquarters in Scottsdale.

The money will be spent over five years to build a 20-acre research, development and engineering facility on the corner of Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road. It will bring more than 500 jobs to the area.

“The facility will be home to research, development and engineering activities, as well as our global training center, software team and corporate support functions,” ASM CEO Benjamin Loh said. 

Loh was joined by company executives, Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte at the announcement ceremony Tuesday at WestWorld of Scottsdale.

ASM was one of the first semiconductors companies to begin operations in Arizona. The company’s ties go all the way back to 1976 when ASM first established its North American headquarters in Phoenix. Loh said he wants to build on ASM’s legacy in Arizona and prepare the company for the next decades. ASM employs more than 800 people in Arizona and that number has doubled since 2019. Its Arizona facilities are its largest research and development hub worldwide.  

“The many innovations we pioneered in Arizona have found their way into computers, phones, medical equipment like MRI scanners, data centers, cars and AI applications everywhere,” Loh said.   

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs spoke at the event and said Arizona is quickly becoming an epicenter for sustainable technologies. Hobbs said there have been more than 32 semiconductors expansions in the state in fewer than two years. Investments that will strengthen U.S. supply chains, bring billions to the state and create good paying jobs for everyday Arizonans.  

“ASM’s enhanced research and development operations in Arizona will catalyze innovation, bolstering our already booming manufacturing eco system,” Hobbs said. The governor said we can expect more foreign investments to Arizona for chip manufacturing.   

Prime Minister Rutte also spoke at the event, along with the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy Micky Adriaansens. Arizona Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly did not attend the event but sent in video statements throwing their support behind the expansion.