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31 min ago 2 min read
Japan’s Resonac is expanding production of high-purity hydrogen fluoride gas used in semiconductor manufacturing as AI investment and hyperscale data centre expansion drive demand for increasingly advanced chips.
The company will begin producing the gas at its Tokuyama Plant in Japan later this year. Combined with its existing production at the Kawasaki Plant, Resonac plans to establish a two-site production system
A second production site is also expected to provide greater supply resilience for chipmakers by reducing dependence on a single manufacturing location.
Hydrogen fluoride is used in cryogenic etching, an advanced semiconductor manufacturing technique that performs dry etching at extremely low temperatures (typically below -–100°C).
By cooling the wafer, chipmakers can precisely control chemical reactions using the gas to carve deep microscopic channels for modern microchips used for data centres and AI-related applications.
The ultra-pure gas is also used to dissolve metallic contaminants from silicon wafers.
The global anhydrous hydrogen fluoride market is valued between $3bn and $4.5bn and is projected to reach up to $6bn by 2034.
According to market research, Asia-Pacific today accounts for over 60% of both production and consumption, with China serving as the leading global exporter. The top export destinations include South Korea and Japan – two pillars of the global semiconductor industry.
Resonac’s investment comes amid a broader expansion of Japan’s semiconductor supply chain. Earlier this year, Air Liquide announced a in Japan to supply ultra-high-purity nitrogen, oxygen and argon for next-generation semiconductor production.
Speaking recently to Bloomberg TV, Resonac President and CEO Hidehito Takahashi said demand from AI applications remained exceptionally strong.
“AI demand is very, very strong,” he said. “The next step is probably physical AI … robotics and mobility all require AI and semiconductors, so people playing in this sphere are very bullish [on prospects].”
