SK Hynix to open chip facility earlier due to AI demand

SK Hynix will open the first factory at its new chip facility in Yongin, South Korea, three months earlier than planned, targeting February 2027, according to SK Hynix America CEO Sungsoo Ryu.

The company also plans to begin deploying silicon wafers at its new M15X fab in Cheongju next month to produce high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips.

The Yongin fab is part of SK Hynix’s US$407 billion “Semiconductor Cluster” investment, which will eventually include four factories.

🔗 Source: Reuters

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

M15X adds 50,000 wafers by mid-2027, behind Samsung at 650,000

M15X in Cheongju will start wafer input in February 2026 for HBM. At full ramp it targets about 50,000 DRAM wafers a month by mid-2027 1, 2.
Full M15X plus existing lines takes SK Hynix to about 550,000 DRAM wafers a month, while Samsung can run up to 650,000 2.
Yongin opens in February 2027 under Phase 1, targeting about 350,000 more wafers a month by 2030 with 120 trillion won 1, 2. Near-term supply from M15X and the first Yongin fab stays modest for the market.
Only SK Hynix with Samsung plus Micron can make HBM3E and HBM4, the latest HBM generations 2, 3. The market is set to rise about 33% a year through 2030, so new output should find buyers as AI builds out.

OSAT expansion opens paths for equipment and materials partners

Packaging stays tight as AI systems use HBM and multi-die designs. TSMC sent orders to ASE and Amkor after its CoWoS lines filled up 4.
Amkor will work with Intel on EMIB at its K5 plant in South Korea 5.
Advanced packaging should top 51% by 2025, with a 10.6% CAGR to $78.6 billion by 2028 5. Suppliers of hybrid bonding equipment (for directly bonding chips), redistribution layer (RDL) materials, and through-silicon via (TSV) technologies see openings.
AI chip teams and cloud providers can lock in capacity with ASE or Amkor as CoWoS alternatives gain traction while demand outpaces supply through 2026 6.