[포인트경제] SK Hynix announced on the 24th that it has decided to expand production capacity of next-generation DRAM, such as HBM, which is the core of AI infrastructure, in preemptive response to the rapidly increasing demand for AI semiconductors.
Through a board resolution on this day, the company decided to establish a new fab, M15X, to be built in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do as its DRAM production base and to invest approximately 5.3 trillion won in fab construction.
SK Hynix plans to begin fab construction at the end of this month and begin mass production after completion in November 2025. The plan is to invest in equipment sequentially and expand the production base by investing a total of more than 20 trillion won in the M15X in the long term.
SK Hynix emphasized, “As a global leader in AI memory, we want to contribute to revitalizing the national economy by expanding investment in domestic production bases, which are the basis of the company’s competitiveness, while raising Korea’s status as a semiconductor powerhouse.”
As the AI era begins in earnest, the semiconductor industry believes that the DRAM market has entered a mid- to long-term growth phase. Along with HBM, which is expected to grow at an average annual growth rate of more than 60%, the company predicts that demand for general DRAM will steadily increase, centering on high-capacity DDR5 module products for servers.
As HBM requires at least twice the capacity to secure the same production volume as regular DRAM products, SK Hynix decided that increasing DRAM capacity was a prerequisite.
The company decided to produce new DRAM at Cheongju M15X before the completion of the first fab in the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster in the first half of 2027. The advantage of optimizing HBM production was also taken into account as M15X is adjacent to M15, which is expanding its TSV capacity. TSV (Through Silicon Via) is an interconnection technology that drills thousands of tiny holes in a DRAM chip and connects the holes of the upper and lower layers of the chip with electrodes that penetrate vertically.
Along with the M15X, SK Hynix plans to proceed without disruption with planned domestic investments, including the Yongin cluster, in which approximately 120 trillion won will be invested.
Currently, the site development progress rate for the Yongin cluster is approximately 26%, and construction is progressing 3 percentage points faster than the target. All compensation procedures and cultural property surveys for the site where SK Hynix’s production facility will be built have been completed, and the construction of infrastructure such as power, water, and roads is also progressing faster than planned. Construction of the first fab in Yongin is scheduled to begin in March next year and be completed in May 2027.
Meanwhile, the domestic investment conducted by SK Hynix plays a major role in the overall domestic investment at the SK Group level. SK Hynix, which was incorporated into SK Group in 2012, has continued to invest domestically with a focus on its ‘future vision’ of investing a total of 46 trillion won since 2014 to build a total of three additional factories, starting with M14 in Icheon. As a result, the company completed its future vision early by sequentially completing Cheongju M15 in 2018 and Icheon M16 in 2021.
The company expects that the investment in M15X and the Yongin cluster will serve as a catalyst for Korea to become an AI semiconductor powerhouse and revitalize the national economy.
SK Hynix CEO No-Jeong Kwak said, “M15X will become a core facility that supplies AI memory around the world and become a stepping stone between the company’s present and future.” He added, “This investment will not only help the company but also contribute to the future of the national economy.” “I am confident that it will be a big step forward.”
Point Economy Reporter Park Joo-hyeon
Tags: Hynix decides invest trillion won Cheongju M15X DRAM production base
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