All statements in this article are based on reliable information, and the sources are detailed at the end of the article
As early as last year, AMSL, a giant in the field of lithography machines, announced that the company was going to change its CEO.
As a 50-year-old lithography machine giant, this company has a near-monopoly position in the field of lithography machines and semiconductor equipment manufacturing, and the change of CEO position has naturally attracted the attention of the whole world.
However, it is worth noting that the new CEO is not a native of the Netherlands, but a Frenchman.
This may mean that the company's subsequent development strategy may change, or even the entire company will have to move.
The most important thing is that the new CEO shouted about China immediately after taking office, what kind of signal does this represent for the development of our country's semiconductor industry?
First, the lithography machine giant ASML has changed its CEO
AMSL is a Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer founded in 1980.
After years of precipitation, the company's lithography machine manufacturing technology has been ahead of the world.
Looking at the whole world, it can be said that this company is a unique manufacturer of high-end lithography machine products, and their lithography system has presented a near-monopoly position in the entire world market.
As early as 2007, this company has occupied more than 60% of the market share in the mid-to-high-end lithography machine market, and about 80% of the market share in the highest-end market.
Even after so many years of development, the lithography machine manufacturing technology of all countries in the world has improved, and the independent monopoly position of this enterprise has not been affected.
At present, this company is the only company that can produce high-end lithography machine products with higher precision and better efficiency.
High-end lithography equipment is known to produce high-quality chips.
As a product that grasps the lifeblood of the future electronic technology industry, this company can naturally also obtain high data revenue through the export of lithography machine equipment.
However, in recent years, the company's revenue has decreased slightly.
The key problem among them is not that the equipment of this enterprise is no longer recognized by overseas markets, but due to the interference of the United States.
In order to maintain its position as the world's hegemon, the United States is constantly exerting pressure on the Dutch government and this company.
The idea of the United States is very clear, that is, it intends to block the export channels of this company's related products, so as to limit the rapid development of the semiconductor field in other countries.
Under the continuous intervention of the United States, the company's previous product export channels are naturally unsustainable, and it is normal for the scale of revenue to decline.
It can be seen that in the development of this year, the company's revenue in the first quarter can reach a total of about 5.3 billion euros, which is a decline of 21 percentage points compared with the same period last year.
As for profits, the decline was even more dramatic, with a total net profit of 1.2 billion euros in the first quarter, down 40% year-on-year.
The pressure from the United States and the decline in the company's revenue figures have forced the company's top management to rethink the company's positioning, and even decide to change the company's CEO.
Back last year, the company had already made a corresponding decision. At that time, the position of the new CEO may still be up in the air.
So AMSL has only indicated that the then CEO Wennink will step down this year, but the new CEO has not yet been announced.
However, the company may have been well prepared for the new CEO to be replaced by Frenchman Christophe Fouquet.
Second, it turned out to be a Frenchman
I have to say that the news of the CEO change is indeed very surprising.
The company has been working in the Dutch market for 40 years, and the CEO position has always been held by Dutch native Wennink.
Moreover, as an important enterprise that can grasp the lifeblood of the future electronic technology industry, the development of the company naturally needs to be led by Dutch locals.
However, the fact that the CEO is now being taken over by a Frenchman represents a major change in the company's subsequent development strategy?
All things considered, the company's development in recent years has indeed been affected by the pressure of the United States, and the Dutch government's policies are naturally similar to those of the United States.
In such a situation, the company naturally needs to change its development strategy, or even flee the Dutch market to choose a market that is more conducive to the development of the company.
Choose a more independent country to deploy its own industrial lines, so as not to affect its product exports accordingly.
Last year, there were rumors that the company might consider moving its headquarters out of the Dutch market due to immigration policies.
As far as the current situation is concerned, the rumors at that time were not groundless.
Now that the CEO of the company has changed his position and is still a French person, it seems that the company has also made the French market a top choice.
Of course, this is also predictable, after all, French President Emmanuel Macron has declared that he wants to build a "more independent" France.
Such a declaration naturally indicates that the French market may no longer continue to be under pressure from the United States as before, blocking and restricting the export channels of related goods, affecting the development and revenue of related enterprises.
If the company relocates its headquarters to France as a whole and establishes a corresponding industrial line in France, then the export channels of goods can be expanded in the future and will no longer be interfered with by the United States.
In order to meet this growth strategy, the Dutch company decided to change its CEO and hire a Frenchman to lead the company.
After all, compared with the original Dutch native Wennink, the identity of the Frenchman Fouquet is definitely more conducive to the company's subsequent "escape", and it also has a corresponding role in promoting the entry into the French market.
This also seems to have been confirmed by the French media. On April 24 this year, the French media published a public analysis report.
The report shows that France, as a confident European country, will provide strong support for the new CEO coverage.
It even includes countering the issue of U.S. regulatory interference in many exports. From this point of view, the subsequent development and positioning of this company may have to change dramatically.
However, there are also some doubts about the relocation of the company's headquarters, which has been in the Dutch market for 40 years.
It has an industrial line in the Dutch domestic market, and if it relocates its headquarters directly to France, I am afraid that the future development problems will be affected.
What's more, as a major company in the Netherlands, the Dutch government may also exert some resistance to the relocation of this company.
But in any case, now that the company has changed its leadership, it may not be immediately decided to move the company's headquarters and leave the Dutch market.
But it does show that the direction of business development has indeed begun to change.
Third, he shouted to China
The change of manager of AMSL in the Netherlands is certainly an important result of the adjustment based on the company's future development direction.
In the future, the headquarters may be relocated away from the Dutch market, so as to get rid of the pressure and control from the United States and realize the autonomy of product supply and export.
Just after the French CEO took office, he also expressed his relevant views.
In a recent media interview, the French CEO spoke out about the Chinese market.
"It is very difficult and expensive to decouple the industrial supply chain, and sooner or later people will realize that if they want to win in the chip industry, then they can only work together. ”
These words have made clear his views and attitudes towards the Chinese market.
In the future, he will certainly not pay too much attention to the interference policy of the United States.
Rather, it is committed to leading enterprises to reach close exchanges and commodity cooperation in the Chinese market, so as to promote the expansion of the scale of enterprise commodity exports and the rapid development of enterprises.
After all, China is currently the largest commodity export stock and commodity importer, and the development of electronic equipment-related industries is also becoming more and more popular, and the demand for lithography machine products and chip semiconductor products is also increasing.
If the Dutch company can reach close ties with the Chinese market, it will naturally have many benefits for their revenue and subsequent development.
brief summary
The change of leadership of the Dutch lithography giant, and the rumors that the company may have to relocate its headquarters to France.
All this suggests that the company's future development strategy may undergo major changes, and the focus of the strategy is to get rid of the pressure and interference from the United States.
The new CEO is also very clear about the Chinese market, and in media interviews, he also conveyed his intention to work together.
This is tantamount to sending goodwill to China, and there will definitely be many possibilities for cooperation between enterprises and the Chinese market in the future.
Under such circumstances, the US blockade of lithography machines and semiconductors for the Chinese market will be gradually broken.
Many of China's electronic technology industries will benefit from this and achieve more rapid development.
It seems that the restrictions imposed by the United States on the Chinese market and the barriers to commodity exports created for this reason have leaked everywhere.
It is unlikely that China's rapid development will be restricted again.
With such an opportunity, the Chinese market can once again make a big leap forward, and it is not empty talk that it will even surpass the United States to become the world's largest economy.
Resources:
1. Titanium Media APP 2023-12-01 "Dutch lithography machine giant ASML changes its leadership, Christophe Fouquet will succeed the company CEO in April next year|Silicon-based world"
2. Xinzhixun 2024.4.26 "ASML Changing Leadership: Headquarters Will Move to France?