De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek has advised ASML, the world’s largest supplier of equipment to computer chip manufacturers, on reaching an agreement with Hermes Microvision to acquire all of its outstandig shares, in a cash transaction currently valued at approximately EUR 2.75 billion. Hermes is a leading supplier of pattern verification systems used for advanced semiconductor devices.

The transaction will take the form of a "share swap for 100% cash consideration", a relatively new structure under Taiwan law, and will result in the delisting of HMI from the Taipex Stock Exchange. The two companies are leaders in their respective fields and are already developing joint approaches that IC manufacturers can use to improve yields in the production of the most advanced microchips. This combination will allow ASML and HMI to further integrate and enhance their product offering at an accelerated pace.

Team
Michael Schouten (lead partner), Gaby Smeenk, Arne Grimme, Reinier Kleipool, Heather Giannandrea, Casper Nagtegaal, Ben Wekker, Shuyu Huang