South Korea Bets $590B on Massive New Chip Complex
Samsung, SK hynix, and the South Korean government team up for a colossal semiconductor investment.
South Korea is going all in on chips. The country's government, alongside Samsung and SK hynix, plans to pour roughly $590 billion into a sprawling new semiconductor complex. That's not a typo.
The mega-project includes four chipmaking plants and a dedicated chip packaging cluster — a direct response to skyrocketing global demand for memory chips.
Both Samsung and SK hynix will invest alongside the South Korean government to build out the factories. The scale here is staggering. For context, $590 billion dwarfs most national semiconductor programs worldwide.
The packaging cluster is a notable inclusion. Advanced chip packaging has become a critical bottleneck in the AI hardware supply chain, and South Korea clearly wants to own that piece of the puzzle too.
Memory chips remain the backbone of AI infrastructure. South Korea is making sure it stays the dominant supplier.