South Korean memory chipmaker SK hynix spent 18.3 trillion won (US$12.8 billion) on tangible assets in the first half of 2026, up 72.7% from a year earlier. The company is expanding domestic production capacity to meet rising demand for AI memory.

Research and development spending nearly doubled to 6 trillion won (US$4.23 billion), according to the company’s half-year report released on August 14.

Its biggest expansion project is the Yongin semiconductor cluster, which will house four next-generation dynamic random-access memory and AI memory fabs.

The first fab is targeting an initial cleanroom opening in February 2027.

The company said in February it would add 21.6 trillion won (US$15.1 billion) by 2030 for the first Yongin fab. That would bring total investment there to about 31 trillion won (US$21.7 billion), including an existing 9.4 trillion won (US$6.58 billion) construction plan.

In June, it outlined a 1,100 trillion won (US$770 billion) investment plan for Yongin, Cheongju, and South Korea’s southwestern region.

The Yongin project has faced delays tied to environmental reviews, land compensation, and water supply disputes, though SK hynix said phase one power and water infrastructure is 99% complete.

🔗 Source: Chosun Daily

Recent SK hynix developments