The third stop on our virtual tour of KLA’s global locations is a visit to Taiwan and our four locations that span the west side of the powerhouse region for semiconductor manufacturing.
The Journey starts in Hsinchu, The “Silicon Valley of Taiwan”
Established in 1990, KLA Taiwan’s operations are extensive and wide-ranging. Strategically located near its key customers, KLA established its Taiwan headquarters in Hsinchu, also known as the “Silicon Valley of Taiwan”, and grew its presence to other important semiconductor industry locations in Linkou (Taoyuan City), Taichung and Tainan. Two of KLA’s four Learning and Knowledge Services (LKS) training facilities are located in Taiwan – the first in Hsinchu and the second in Tainan, which opened in 2021.
A coastal city bordering the Taiwan Strait to the west, and one of the oldest cities in Taiwan, Hsinchu is situated approximately 20 kilometers southwest of the capital city of Taipei. More importantly, the city is known as the “Silicon Valley of Taiwan” because it is home to the headquarters and regional offices of many of the world’s top technology companies and major semiconductor manufacturers. In addition, KLA Taiwan’s Hsinchu office sits in the prestigious Hsinchu Science Park, a major industrial business area established by the Taiwanese government in 1980 that is now regarded as one of the world’s most significant centers of innovation and R&D for semiconductor manufacturing and information technology.
“KLA continues investing in Taiwan to strengthen our customer experiences and enable many of our product innovations for our customers and the semiconductor industry.”
Tom Wang, President of KLA Taiwan
“Being indispensable to customers is a core KLA value, and ensuring customer success is a key strategic focus,” added Wang. “KLA has established two LKS facilities in Hsinchu and Tainan, respectively, for training and enhancing support of our customers’ multiple Giga-fab ramps and most advanced technology development. KLA Taiwan continues to invest in and strengthen its engineering capabilities and resources, such as algorithm development, software development, and systems engineering. We partner and collaborate with our valuable customers in Taiwan to drive innovation and develop unique and differentiated products and services to enable our customers’ product roadmaps.”
Across the four locations, KLA Taiwan has over 1,000 employees and continues to grow at a fast rate. To meet growing demand for KLA’s products and solutions, KLA Taiwan actively recruits the best talent to fill a wide range of engineering roles including customer support, applications development, product and software development, and systems engineering.
With strong relationships with Taiwan universities, KLA also runs campus recruitment campaigns in the spring and fall, and attracts top talent from leading universities such as the National Taiwan University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, National Cheng Kung University and National Tsing Hua University.
What’s It Like to Work at KLA Taiwan? These Employees Fill Us In!
At KLA, we love to spotlight employees from around the world, hear about their individual experiences at the company, and learn what KLA values and company culture mean to them. Check out what these three KLA Taiwan employees have to say about working at KLA:
Honest, Forthright and Consistent (HFC)
Leo Lin, a customer service engineer, says he enjoys KLA’s culture and open communication. According to Leo, communication between managers and employees is open. His supervisor supports his career development and encourages him to explore new and creative ways to solve complex technical issues.
“At KLA, I always feel free to share new ideas or thoughts with my team. We are a high-performance team that grows together.” – Leo Lin
Drive to be Better
Emma Chen, an applications engineer, is inspired by the company’s dedication to community service, workplace diversity, and learning. Emma has participated in different volunteer activities sponsored by the KLA Foundation, including the food box delivery project last December. She has participated in multiple training programs provided by the Corporate Learning Center (CLC), which have helped her improve her presentation, customer focus and communication skills.
“I believe KLA supports my growth and provides me a meaningful career.” – Emma Chen
High Performance Teams
Chi-Ping Liu, a senior applications development manager, is an expert in research and development. He says the diverse KLA teams, comprised of engineers from all around the world, provide the very best solutions for customers.
“KLA is all about ‘diversity’ and ‘multidisciplinary functions.’ We build high-performing teams with both diversity of backgrounds and skillsets in mind. Talents are here to advance humanity!” – Chi-Ping Liu
KLA Taiwan Employees Advance Humanity through Community Service
KLA Taiwan employees are extremely passionate about being of service in the communities in which they live and work, so they actively volunteer their time to promote STEM education and support important cultural and environmental causes that maintain the unique heritage and scenic beauty of Taiwan.
Habitat Maintenance for Migratory Birds in Southern Taiwan
An inspiring group of KLA Taiwan employees recently volunteered to help maintain oceanside habitats for migratory birds in the southern part of the island. Embracing the opportunity to learn more about sustainability and the distinct environmental dynamics of this region, these associates planted scores of halophytes, hardy, salt-tolerant plants that grow in soils or waters of high salinity, and prevent sand erosion and seawater incursion into freshwater areas. They are an important component of these fragile, and often rapidly diminishing, ecosystems that serve as homes for a wide range of flora and fauna.
Food Box Packaging and Delivery in Central Taiwan
KLA Taiwan employees have also been actively involved with Taiwan People’s Food Bank Association, a non-profit organization in central Taiwan which provides fresh produce and non-perishable food items to those in need throughout the region. More specifically, KLA employees routinely volunteer their time packaging and distributing food boxes, each containing enough provisions to feed a family of four for a week, to area families. To date, KLA employees have distributed more than 400 of these care packages, with that number climbing each week.
To start your career at KLA and be part of the next technological breakthrough, browse our job openings in Taiwan and our many global locations.
Subscribe now to Advance so you don’t miss the next location spotlight, employee stories, or news about our latest products and business achievements.
Follow Us