Dutch Tech Firm’s Scottsdale Project No Small Affair Article originally posted on HERE on December 15, 2023 Jobs, jobs – and more jobs. With an estimated 25% of the city’s population in the retirement range of 65 and older, many Scottsdale residents are not looking for work. Yet, in recent months, companies have announced plans to hire thousands in North Scottsdale alone. The Parque, Axon and Banner Health unveiled construction plans within a 3-mile radius near the Loop 101 and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. And now, ASM, is joining the crowd. According to a news release sent prior to the Dutch company’s Dec. 5 press conference, “ASM, a semiconductor supplier with local customers like Intel and TSMC, is investing $300 million in its new Scottsdale facility and plans to add 500 new high-paying jobs as part of the expansion.” The company plans to build here through 2025, then “move its headquarters to Scottsdale in 2026.” Across the 101 from Grayhawk and the booming Scottsdale One development, ASM’s new headquarters will fit snugly between the planned Banner Health, Axon and Parque campuses. ASM’s new North American headquarters will cover 250,000 square feet – double the size of its current Phoenix facility. Held at WestWorld, the press conference featured politicians from near – Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega and other City Council representatives – and far. “We are a long way from home — but it doesn’t feel that way,” prime minister of Netherlands Mark Rutte said, expressing great enthusiasm about Dutch company ASM’s big expansion here. “It’s a great day for our company,” Benjamin Loh, CEO of ASM, added. “The investment in our new facility in Scottsdale will substantially expand our research and development activities.” Gov. Katie Hobbs welcomed Rutte and ASM glowingly. “This is a momentous occasion for Arizona’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem,” Hobbs said. “Arizona is quickly becoming a global epicenter for sustainable technologies, including electric vehicles, solar energy, batteries, and of course, semiconductors.” Noting the Dutch company has been operating in Phoenix since 1976, Hobbs added, “Few companies have been as important to our long history in semiconductor innovation (as) ASM.” According to company information provided, ASM has research and development centers in Arizona, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Japan, South Korea and Italy and manufacturing sites in Singapore, South Korea, Italy and the Netherlands Like many tech firms, ASM is rather secretive about its products, but does say it designs and manufactures “equipment and process solutions to produce semiconductor devices for wafer processing.” Wafers serve as bases for semiconductor chips. On its 20 acres, ASM plans “a combination of capital expenditures related to infrastructure and lab equipment,” with research and engineering jobs coming – as hinted at by plans for a five-story parking garage, in addition to two offices and labs. According to the company, ASM currently employs over 800 people in Arizona and plans to hire an additional 500 – bringing 1,300 workers to Scottsdale. That sounded great, to Betty Janik and Tom Durham, two City Council representatives who attended the event. Janik gushed at the ASM project as “remarkable. Innovative. It will lead to the diversity of our economic base in Scottsdale,” Janik said. “So we’re very pleased they’re here. “And we’d look forward to working with them to get them up and running.” Janik was asked how ASM’s recruitment will fit in with Scottsdale’s retirement community. “I think the employment is a huge deal,” she said. “These are really good jobs. These are high-paying jobs. “A fellow I sat next to is from Gilbert – he said he’s probably going to move to Scottsdale” to work at ASM, the councilwoman said. “The problem is we already have a very tight housing market,” Janik added. Durham called ASM’s plans “really an asset in making us a worldwide technology leader.” “Many of our neighbors have gotten the benefits of technology,” Durham added, pointing to the massive TSMC chip project in North Phoenix and the Intel project in Chandler. The Progress asked Ortega and Scottsdale City Manager Jim Thompson if the city has a development deal with ASM. According to Kelly Corsette, a city spokesman, “The city does not have a development agreement with ASM.” But, he added, “Multiple city departments have been working with ASM representatives as they have been working on a plan for their new facility. “Those discussions are continuing, including outlining next steps, which may include a development agreement.”