Air Liquide strengthens its Advanced Materials Leadership with a new Molybdenum manufacturing plant in South Korea to support next-generation semiconductors

PRESS RELEASE

                                                                                                                                                 Paris, July 21, 2025

Air Liquide strengthens its Advanced Materials Leadership with a new Molybdenum manufacturing plant in South Korea to support next-generation semiconductors

Air Liquide has successfully started up a new plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. This Molybdenum manufacturing plant, the largest in the world, will supply leading semiconductor customers with its breakthrough advanced materials offer Subleem^TM. The offer includes a portfolio of ultra-high purity molybdenum molecules and first-of-its-kind proprietary distribution systems. With this strategic investment, Air Liquide confirms its technological leadership by being the first to supply molybdenum solutions to its customers in large volumes.

Subleem^TM offer has been developed and qualified in close collaboration with semiconductor chips manufacturers. This offering includes a comprehensive portfolio of ultra-high purity solid molecules and first-of-its-kind proprietary distribution systems, supporting the semiconductor industry's major upcoming shift towards molybdenum. Emerging as a promising replacement for the traditional chip manufacturing material tungsten, the molybdenum “revolution” enables the next generations of advanced memory and logic chips driven by AI applications.

This new offer strengthens Air Liquide's leadership position in advanced materials for the semiconductor industry. It demonstrates the Group’s innovation capability as well as its ability to rapidly master high volume manufacturing and distribution, providing unique solutions for molecules and dedicated proprietary distribution equipment with the fastest time-to-market to strengthen customer leadership.

In addition to this new high-volume manufacturing plant in South Korea, currently supplying Subleem^TM to two early adopters of molybdenum, Air Liquide already has a production unit in operation since 2023 in Japan and will open another manufacturing plant in the United States by the end of 2025 to support the upcoming wave of demand.

Armelle Levieux, member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee, notably supervising Electronics activities, stated: “At Air Liquide, we are committed to accompany our customers in semiconductor manufacturing to tackle the challenges of this fast-growing industry. Our strategic presence in key semiconductor hubs, combined with our unique innovation know-how, allows us to rapidly develop and bring to the market breakthrough technological solutions crucial for next-generation chips. This approach enables Air Liquide to maintain its leadership position in advanced materials for the semiconductor industry.” 

Air Liquide Electronics

Generating €2,510 million in revenue in 2024, the Electronics business line of Air Liquide is a world reference in designing, manufacturing and supplying ultra high purity gases and advanced materials for this industry. The Electronics business line of Air Liquide is a long-term partner providing innovative and sustainable solutions to the semiconductors, photovoltaics and flat-panel displays markets. More than 4,000 employees worldwide are dedicated to providing the working agility and reliability our customers need.  www.electronics-airliquide.com  

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Air Liquide is a world leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and healthcare. Present in 60 countries with approximately 66,500 employees, the Group serves more than 4 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide’s scientific territory and have been at the core of the Group’s activities since its creation in 1902.

Taking action today while preparing the future is at the heart of Air Liquide’s strategy. With ADVANCE, its strategic plan, Air Liquide is targeting a global performance, combining financial and extra-financial dimensions. Positioned on new markets, the Group benefits from major assets such as its business model combining resilience and strength, its ability to innovate and its technological expertise. The Group develops solutions contributing to climate and the energy transition — particularly with hydrogen — and takes action to progress in areas of healthcare, electronics and high technologies.

Air Liquide’s revenue amounted to more than 27 billion euros in 2024. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (compartment A) and belongs to the CAC 40, CAC 40 ESG, EURO STOXX 50, FTSE4Good and DJSI Europe indexes.

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