SK Group to invest $87.9b for AI, chips through 2028

SK Group will invest 128 trillion won (US$87.9 billion) in South Korea through 2028, focusing on semiconductor manufacturing to address rising AI demand.

The company, which operates in chips and chemicals, plans to construct four semiconductor fabrication plants at its Yongin cluster south of Seoul, and said total investment could increase based on market needs.

SK hynix, its chipmaking unit, is working with the government on an 860 billion won “Trinity Fab” project at Yongin to support semiconductor component development and research.

SK Telecom and SK Broadband are partnering with Amazon Web Services to build an AI data center in Ulsan, targeting operations in 2027.

SK Group will adjust the pace of factory construction according to chip demand and market conditions.

The company has hired over 8,000 domestic employees each year and aims to help create 14,000 to 20,000 jobs annually.

🔗 Source: Yonhap

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Yongin HBM buildout

Four wafer fabs are planned at Yongin to build an AI chip hub, yet the 128 trillion won plan through 2028 lacks per-fab budgets and schedules 1.
The first Yongin fab broke ground in 2025 with 9.4 trillion won and targets May 2027 completion 1. M15X in Cheongju expands the M15 DRAM fab with over 20 trillion won, finishing by end-2025 with production in 2026 2.
SK hynix has not shared wafer starts per month or HBM output targets for Yongin, leaving its 2027-plus stance vs. Samsung and Micron hard to gauge.
HBM stays tight through 2027, according to SK hynix 3. The company has locked 2026 deals with major customers, which implies capacity may only match demand 3.

TSV and bonding spend

2026 capital expenditures (CapEx) are set to rise, with SK hynix targeting mid-30% of sales on a three-year moving average, implying 34 trillion won using Q3 2025 annualized revenue 2. Focus areas are Yongin Fab 1 and M15X tools 2. The advanced packaging plant in Indiana is a U.S. facility for assembly plus test of HBM and other chips 2.
Through-Silicon Via (TSV) capacity is growing at M15 in Cheongju to support HBM stacking and the M15X ramp-up 4 5. Hybrid bonding spend is rising across the industry (directly joining chip layers to increase interconnect density and performance) 4 5.
Vendors of TSV tools, hybrid bonding systems, and 300mm wafer equipment should see steady orders 1. The Yongin mini fab provides validation before high-volume deployment (a pilot line used to qualify tools and processes before high-volume deployment) 1.
Metrology (precision measurement) tool makers gain as SK hynix ramps 1C-nanometer DRAM and 321-layer NAND 3. Inspection (defect detection) suppliers see 1C topping 50% of conventional DRAM capacity in Korea by end-2026 3.