South Korea is determined to remain at the forefront of semiconductor production. Samsung is on board, while SK hynix seems tentative.
www.eetasia.com, May. 17, 2021 –
Reports out of Korea claim that SK hynix will double its foundry output. A company press release describes it as "considering a feasible plan to double its foundry capacity."
This is not for advanced nodes and may lack the glitz and glamor of the $100 billion that TSMC plans for advanced node new wafer foundries. It might also be getting a little less love since the investments are not part of the US domestic manufacturing push. Or maybe it sounded a little less than fully committed out of the gate.
Now, doubling is no mean feat for the doubler, but it needs some perspective. SK hynix notes that all foundry and non-memory semiconductor business accounts for 2% of company revenue. This is one drop in a big bucket, but there could be some limited short term impact for specialty products.