Global chip equipment makers flock to S. Korea amid rising China risk

[Photo by MK DB]

Global semiconductor equipment companies are flocking to South Korea, a powerhouse in memory chip manufacturing, due to U.S. restrictions on Chinese semiconductor industry.

According to sources on Sunday, top 5 companies in the global equipment industry are all increasing their investments in Korea. They are Applied Materials Inc., ASML Holding N.V., Tokyo Electron Ltd., Lam Research Corp. and KLA Corp.

According to the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), the five companies account for nearly 80 percent of the global semiconductor equipment market.

Applied Materials of the U.S. recently launched a plan to build a memory equipment research and development center in Gyeonggi Province to strengthen cooperation with major Korean customers, such as Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc., in DRAM and NAND flash business. An Applied Materials official said that the company is in talks with the Gyeonggi provincial government to construct a R&D center, but the investment amount and location remain undecided. The U.S. company is also planning to provide Korean customers with an advanced electron beam imaging technology solution that detects minute defects in chips this month.

ASML of the Netherlands, which makes extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment essential for microprocessing of 10 nanometers or less, is investing 240 billion won ($188.2 million) to build a new building and parts remanufacturing facility in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, where Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor plants are located. It aims to complete the construction by December next year.

Samsung Electronics used to send ASML equipment for repairs to the Netherlands, but it will be possible to have it done in Korea.

ASML‘s extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment [Photo provided by ASML]

An ASML official said that this is an investment for Korean customers, as the country accounts for about 30 percent of ASML’s sales, and this is the first time ASML has built a remanufacturing facility in a foreign country.

Tokyo Electron is expanding its R&D center in Hwaseong. Earlier, Japanese company said it would invest 100 billion won to expand R&D and clean room facilities.

In April last year, Lam Research opened a R&D center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, where SK hynix’s semiconductor cluster will be constructed. In 2021, the U.S. company established its third factory in Hwaseong.

Kokusai Electric Corp., a semiconductor heat treatment equipment company in Japan, is also preparing to expand its Pyeongtaek plant this year. According to media reports, the company plans to invest billions of yen to add more clean rooms. Another Japanese company Hitachi High-Tech Corp. is investing tens of billions of yen in three countries – Korea, the U.S. and Taiwan – to establish R&D facilities by this year.

These global semiconductor equipment companies want to strengthen transactions with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, which are major customers and the so-called Big 2 in the global memory chip supply.

Another reason is growing U.S. sanctions against China. For the chip equipment makers, South Korea is emerging as an alternative to the Chinese market due to its geographical proximity and relationship with Washington. Recently, not only American companies such as Applied Materials and Lam Research, but also Nikon and Tokyo Electron and ASML agreed not to export high-tech semiconductor equipment to China.