Tokyo (SCCIJ) – At the SCCIJ December Luncheon 2025, more than 60 members and guests gathered at The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon, for an insightful keynote by Mr. Urs Gantner, CEO of VAT Group, the world’s leading provider of high-end vacuum valves for ultra-high vacuum environments. In his presentation, Mr. Gantner explained how a highly specialized Swiss technology has become a mission-critical component of the global semiconductor supply chain, enabling advanced chip manufacturing, AI innovation, and long-term industry resilience.
Mr. Gantner, VAT has grown significantly faster than its markets in recent years. What has been the key to this success?
Mr. Gantner: Our success is rooted in a very clear focus. From early on, VAT decided to concentrate on vacuum valve technology for the semiconductor industry, rather than diversifying too broadly. This focus allowed us to deeply understand our customers’ challenges and continuously deliver value by offloading complexity for OEMs, the companies that build the machines used by chipmakers. Since 2015, we have increased our market share by around 25 percentage points, reaching a record 76% share in semiconductor applications in 2024. Trust, long-term partnerships, and technological leadership have been the main drivers behind this growth.
Semiconductor manufacturing is becoming increasingly complex. How does VAT support this evolution?
U.G.: The complexity of chip manufacturing has increased dramatically. A single wafer can go through more than 2,000 process steps, involving multiple materials at nanometer scale. Each additional step increases the need for precise, repeatable, and contamination-free vacuum control.
Our valves and integrated solutions are designed to deliver extreme precision, speed, and particle control, which directly translate into higher yields and throughput for our customers. In advanced nodes, system reliability and repeatability are often more important than optimizing individual components in isolation.
AI is driving massive investments in semiconductors. How does this trend affect VAT?
Mr. Gantner: AI is a major growth accelerator for our industry. Advanced logic, HBM memory, and next-generation architectures such as gate-all-around (GAA) require significantly more process steps and vacuum applications. As a result, vacuum-related wafer fab equipment is growing faster than the overall WFE market, and VAT is well positioned to outgrow the market by up to two times. At the same time, the race for AI leadership is increasingly about energy-efficient performance, which further raises the bar for manufacturing precision and reliability.
The semiconductor industry is highly cyclical. How does VAT manage volatility?
U.G.: Cyclicality is part of our industry, so resilience is essential. VAT has built a flexible operating model with a high share of variable costs, scalable capacity, and a global footprint. This allows us to ramp production up or down without losing critical know-how.
We also invest ahead of the cycle, expanding capacity and innovation capabilities in Switzerland, Malaysia, and Romania. This long-term approach enables us to emerge stronger from downturns and be ready when demand rebounds.
Looking ahead, what will define VAT’s role in the future semiconductor ecosystem?
U.G.: Collaboration will be key. As manufacturing technology evolves, no single company can solve all challenges alone. Faster innovation cycles, closer partnerships, and integrated solutions will define success.
For VAT, our role is to remain a trusted, mission-critical partner in the semiconductor supply chain, combining Swiss engineering excellence with global reach. What started in the Rhine Valley 60 years ago has become a global technology platform – and we believe the most exciting chapters are still ahead.
About the Speaker
Mr. Urs Gantner was appointed CEO of VAT Group in January 2024. He previously served as Executive Vice President of the Semiconductor Solutions Group from August 2022. Mr. Gantner joined VAT in 2004 as a product manager and development engineer and was appointed Head of the Semiconductor Business Unit in 2015, playing a key role in the company’s growth and leadership in the global semiconductor industry. Prior to joining VAT, he worked as an R&D engineer at Hamilton Medical AG and as a scientist at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), where he was involved in the comprehensive assessment of energy systems. Mr. Gantner holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich).
Text and pictures: SCCIJ
