Choi Tae-won, SK Group Chairman, announced that he would significantly accelerate the construction of the Jeollanamdo-Gwangju semiconductor specialized complex to respond to AI (artificial intelligence) memory semiconductor demand growing faster than expected. The plan includes considering parallel construction of the Yongin cluster and the Jeollanamdo-Gwangju factory, as well as commencing work even before infrastructure such as power and water supply is fully completed.
Choi (Chairman) visited the Gwangju military airport site and the surrounding ammunition depot area on the 9th with Guak No-jeong, SK Hynix CEO, and other key executives. After hearing from Min Hyeong-bae, Mayor of the Jeollanamdo-Gwangju Integrated Special City, and other officials about the preparation status of infrastructure, Choi (Chairman) instructed management to "collaborate closely with the government and local governments to proceed with the construction of the southwest semiconductor cluster as swiftly as possible."
On site, Choi (Chairman) stated, "Semiconductor demand is increasing faster than expected, so we are in a situation where we must hurry to expand production facilities. We have moved up the overall construction schedule for the Yongin semiconductor cluster by 12 years, but this may still be insufficient." He added, "Going forward, we may need to build factories in parallel in Yongin and Jeollanamdo-Gwangju." He continued, "This visit was to directly confirm how quickly we can build a factory in Jeollanamdo-Gwangju," adding, "We will construct at the fastest possible speed."
Regarding infrastructure development, he further stated, "Even if water supply and power are delayed, as long as we can align with piling (construction work of driving piles into the ground), we intend to move in first. We have little intention of saving on construction costs." He emphasized, "We will recalculate and announce the specific groundbreaking date based on the pace aligned with the national and local government's power and water infrastructure plans, but we will build as quickly as possible at the fastest speed."
Regarding the scale of investment, he said, "So far, we have a plan for a size about two-thirds that of Yongin, but if there is more land and demand increases, it is fully expected that this side could become larger."
SK Hynix had previously announced in June a blueprint to create a new cluster worth 400 trillion won in the Honam region. An SK Hynix official stated, "Global AI memory semiconductor demand is surging, accelerating market growth further while competition is gradually intensifying." The official added, "With strong support from the government and local governments, we will continue swift investment to contribute to strengthening South Korea's dominance in AI semiconductors."
in INDUSTRY
