Hanmi Semiconductor (042700) has set up a local unit in Silicon Valley to tap the U.S. market as chipmakers press ahead with a wave of plant construction there. The company aims to broaden equipment supply opportunities and beef up technical support for local customers as SK hynix, Micron Technology and other major chipmakers expand their U.S. production facilities.
Hanmi Semiconductor said on Oct. 19 that it held an opening ceremony for its U.S. unit, Hanmi USA, in San Jose, California, on the 16th. Chairman Kwak Dong-shin and other senior executives attended the event. The company has now established local units in the United States as well as Taiwan, China and Singapore, extending its global sales and technical support network.
The new unit is a move to respond to the buildup of chip production bases in the United States. SK hynix broke ground in August on a $4 billion high-bandwidth memory packaging plant in West Lafayette, Indiana, which is scheduled to begin operations in the second half of 2028. Micron is building DRAM and HBM production facilities in Idaho and is pursuing a $100 billion chip plant in New York state. Amkor Technology, a chip packaging specialist, is also investing $12 billion to build a production facility in Arizona.
Hanmi Semiconductor plans to station experienced engineers locally and strengthen technical support in line with the startup schedules of those plants. Because performance optimization and maintenance remain critical after chip equipment is installed, the company intends to shorten response times by setting up a base close to its customers.
Hanmi Semiconductor is the world's largest supplier of thermal compression bonders, the key equipment used to stack and bond DRAM chips vertically for HBM. It has recently broadened its business to include 2.5D bonders for advanced packaging, which link multiple chips, and MSVP equipment that precisely cuts and inspects chip packages.
"The United States is an important market that leads the global AI industry and advanced chip technology," Kwak said. "We will strengthen our competitiveness by expanding close technical support for local customers and cooperation with global chipmakers."