Air Liquide's Molybdenum Manufacturing Plant in South Korea is Operational

Air Liquide has successfully started up its new plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The world's largest molybdenum manufacturing plant will supply its breakthrough advanced material Subleem to leading semiconductor customers. The product includes a range of ultra-high purity molybdenum molecules and a first-of-its-kind proprietary distribution system.

With this strategic investment, Air Liquide becomes the first company to supply molybdenum solutions to customers in large quantities, thus establishing its technological leadership.

Subleem products are developed and qualified by Air Liquide in close collaboration with semiconductor chip manufacturers. The product includes a comprehensive portfolio of ultra-high purity solid molecules and a first-of-its-kind proprietary distribution system, designed to support the semiconductor industry's upcoming major transformation to molybdenum materials.

As a promising alternative to traditional chip manufacturing material tungsten, the molybdenum "revolution" enables the next generation of advanced memory and logic chips driven by artificial intelligence applications.

In addition to this new high-volume production plant in South Korea, which currently supplies Subleem to two early adopters of molybdenum, Air Liquide has opened a production unit in Japan in 2023 and another manufacturing plant in the United States by the end of 2025 to support the coming wave of demand.

"At Air Liquide, we are committed to accompanying our customers in the semiconductor manufacturing industry to meet the challenges of this fast-growing industry," said Armelle Levieux, member of the Air Liquide Executive Committee responsible for the Electronics business. "Our strategic presence in major semiconductor hubs, combined with our unique innovative technologies, allows us to quickly develop and bring to market breakthrough technological solutions that are essential for the next generation of chips. This approach enables Air Liquide to maintain its leading position in advanced materials for the semiconductor industry."