SK hynix has decided to move up the opening of the cleanroom of Phase 1 fab (plant) at the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster by three months. The decision is aimed at responding more swiftly to the sharp increase in global demand for memory semiconductors driven by the spread of artificial intelligence (AI).
On the 25th, SK hynix announced via its newsroom that “the opening of the cleanroom, which was initially expected in May 2027, will be moved forward to February of the same year.” In a semiconductor fab, opening the cleanroom means that high-value manufacturing equipment can be brought in and the facility is ready for actual chip production.
SK hynix Newsroom
On the same day, SK hynix decided to execute approximately KRW 21.6 trillion in new facility investment for the Phase 1 fab by the end of December 2030. Adding the previously announced investment of KRW 9.4 trillion in July 2024, the investment dedicated solely to the construction of the Phase 1 fab building comes to KRW 31 trillion. A semiconductor industry official said, “The cost just for constructing the fab is KRW 31 trillion, and the purchase of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to be installed inside is expected to cost around KRW 120 trillion,” adding, “Combined, nearly KRW 150 trillion in investment will go into the Phase 1 fab alone.”
SK hynix believes that demand for advanced memory semiconductors is structurally increasing due to the expansion of AI, data centers, and high-performance computing (HPC) industries. SK hynix stated, “To preemptively respond to the surging global demand, we will execute the planned investments with speed,” and added, “Through the early operation of the Phase 1 fab, we will stably supply products at the timing our customers require.”
Lee Min-a
AI-translated with ChatGPT. Provided as is; original Korean text prevails.
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