SK hynix Chief Executive Kwak Noh-Jung speaks Thursday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the company’s AI memory production facility at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Photo courtesy of SK hynix \n <\/p>\n
Aug. 28 (Asia Today) — South Korean chipmaker SK hynix has broken ground on a more than $4 billion advanced packaging facility in Indiana that will serve as its first U.S. production base for next-generation high-bandwidth memory.<\/p>\n
The company said Friday it held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday at Purdue University’s Holloway Gymnasium in West Lafayette, Ind., for the advanced packaging facility for artificial intelligence memory.\n<\/p>\n
Advanced packaging is a semiconductor back-end process that combines multiple chips into a single package or stacks them vertically to improve performance as conventional chip miniaturization approaches its physical limits.<\/p>\n
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, U.S. Sen. Todd Young, Purdue University President Mitch Daniels and Robert Abrams, chairman of the Korea-US Alliance Foundation, attended the ceremony.<\/p>\n
South Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha also attended, along with SK Group Vice Chairmen Yu Jeong-joon and Lee Hyung-hee and SK hynix Chief Executive Kwak Noh-Jung.<\/p>\n
SK hynix plans to complete the plant’s cleanroom in October 2028 and begin mass production of next-generation HBM products in the second half of 2029.<\/p>\n
The company said the facility is expected to develop into a major U.S. HBM production hub employing about 1,000 workers once operations are fully underway.\n<\/p>\n
The Indiana site will be SK hynix’s first HBM production base in the United States and will be closely integrated with its manufacturing operations in South Korea.<\/p>\n
Advanced wafers produced in South Korea will be shipped to Indiana for advanced packaging and testing before the resulting “Made in USA” HBM products are supplied to U.S. customers.<\/p>\n
SK hynix said the investment also is expected to strengthen the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and contribute to national security and economic growth.<\/p>\n
More than 100 materials, components and equipment suppliers are considering expanding into the West Lafayette area, according to the company.<\/p>\n
SK hynix said construction and operation of the plant, together with activities by U.S. partner companies, are expected to create about 7,000 direct and indirect jobs.<\/p>\n
The company also signed a memorandum of understanding with Purdue University for research and development cooperation in advanced packaging.<\/p>\n
The two sides plan to jointly research next-generation system integration and advanced packaging technologies, including those used in HBM.<\/p>\n
SK hynix said it also plans to expand cooperation with universities and research institutions across the U.S. Midwest to train and recruit highly skilled workers.<\/p>\n
“Today marks the beginning of a new future for AI that the United States and SK hynix will build together,” Kwak said.\n<\/p>\n
He described the United States as the center of AI innovation, bringing together leading customers, research capabilities and a strong industrial ecosystem.<\/p>\n
“The Indiana fab will become the first base to provide ‘Made in USA’ HBM,” Kwak said. “We will expand investment and cooperation in the United States, grow together and become the most trusted partner in building the future of American AI.”<\/p>\n
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI<\/p>\n
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