SK siltron to invest $1.65 bn by 2026 in its semiconductor wafer business

[Source: SK siltron]

South Korea’s SK siltron, a silicon wafer manufacturing unit of SK Group, will invest a total of around 2.3 trillion won ($1.65 billion) in its silicon wafer business over the next five years in preparation for a recovery of the semiconductor industry in the next two to three years from the current downturn.

SK silicon in a board meeting on Thursday approved an investment of 855 billion won, or 24.84 percent of its total assets, in adding a fab line for 300 millimeters silicon wafers - a material used in the production of semiconductors - the company announced in a regulatory filing.

The company also considers an additional investment of 400 billion won for wafer output expansion in the first half of next year. If it is approved next year, SK siltron would be investing a total of 2.3 trillion won across three stages in silicon wafer business by 2026.

In March it decided to invest 1.05 trillion won to build a wafer manufacturing plant at its headquarters in the Gumi National Industrial Complex.

SK siltron has made a bold investment decision in semiconductor wafer production despite the downturn in the chip market because it expects a recovery in chip demand starting 2024.

“We expect the semiconductor market to recover after experiencing a short downcycle period,” said an official from SK siltron. Both foreign and domestic semiconductor manufacturers are actively investing to expand facilities to prepare for potential changes to the industry in the future, the official added.

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