When a serious business slowdown happens, massive corporations are likely to slowdown their mid-term and long-term capability associated investments. That is precisely what occurred to SK hynix’s Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, a serious mission introduced in April 2021 and valued at $106 billion. Whereas improvement of the location has been largely accomplished, solely 35% of the preliminary shell constructing has been constructed, in line with the Korean Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Vitality.
“Roughly 35% of Fab 1 has been accomplished to this point and web site renovation is in easy progress,” an announcement by the Korean Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Vitality reads. “By 2046, over KRW 120 trillion ($90 billion in the present day, $106 billion in 2021) in funding might be poured to finish Fabs 1 by means of 4, and development of Fab 1’s manufacturing line will begin in March subsequent yr. As soon as accomplished, the infrastructure will rank because the world’s largest three-story fab.”
The brand new semiconductor fabrication cluster by SK hynix introduced virtually precisely three years in the past is primarily meant for use to make DRAM for PCs, cell gadgets, and servers utilizing superior excessive ultraviolet lithography (EUV) course of applied sciences. The cluster, situated close to Yongin, South Korea, is meant to consist of 4 giant fabs located on a 4.15 million m2 web site. With a deliberate capability of roughly 800,000 wafer begins per thirty days (WSPMs), it’s set to be one of many world’s largest semiconductor manufacturing hubs.
With that mentioned, SK hynix’s development progress has been slower than the corporate first projected. The primary fab within the advanced was initially meant to come back on-line in 2025, with development beginning within the fourth quarter of 2021. Nevertheless, SK hynix started to chop its capital expenditures within the second half of 2022, and the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster mission fell a sufferer of that lower. To make certain, the location continues to be developed, simply at a slower tempo; which is why some 35% of the primary fab shell has been constructed at this level.
If accomplished as deliberate in 2021, the primary section of SK hynix Yongin operations would have been a serious reminiscence manufacturing facility costing $25 billion, geared up with EUV instruments, and able to 200,000-WSPM, in line with studies from 2021.
Sources: Korean Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Vitality; ComputerBase