Hichem M'hiri

Hichem M'hiri serves as CEO of ASM International, a Dutch semiconductor equipment company that is a global leader in atomic layer deposition (ALD) and epitaxy deposition equipment. ASM's tools deposit materials one atomic layer at a time with extreme precision — a capability that becomes increasingly critical as chip features shrink below 3 nanometers. Every leading-edge semiconductor manufacturer — TSMC, Samsung, Intel, SK Hynix, and Micron — uses ASM's deposition tools. ASM International occupies a unique position in the semiconductor equipment ecosystem. While ASML provides the lithography tools that pattern chips and Applied Materials/Lam Research dominate etch and other deposition technologies, ASM's ALD tools are irreplaceable for the gate-all-around (GAA) transistor structures that define the most advanced chip nodes. As chipmakers adopt GAA transistors (starting at the 3nm node), the number of ALD steps per wafer increases significantly, driving ASM's revenue growth. M'hiri's key decisions involve R&D investment in next-generation ALD platforms, capacity expansion to meet surging demand, managing the balance between leading-edge and mainstream tool demand, and pricing strategy. ASM's Euronext-listed stock has been one of the best performers in European tech.