Samsung expands Pyeongtaek fabs to meet AI memory demand
Original title: A visit to Samsung’s massive new semiconductor hub
Three fabs already run around the clock, a fourth is coming online, and a paused fifth fab restarted after the AI boom.
Samsung is building a large semiconductor complex in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, to supply memory used with GPUs for generative AI. Three fabs already operate around the clock, a fourth is coming online, and construction of a fifth, halted during a 2024 demand drop, restarted as AI demand rose. Samsung expects memory demand to keep surging through 2028 and is trying to regain ground on high-bandwidth memory after SK Hynix pulled ahead supplying Nvidia accelerators, while TSMC leads foundry manufacturing.
Unconfirmed: Samsung’s statement that memory demand will surge through 2028 is the company’s forecast.
- The campus is about the size of New York City’s Central Park.
- A safety officer said site pay is 140,000 won, about $97, a day.
- Fifth-fab construction stopped in the 2024 memory downturn and later restarted.
- SK Hynix leads high-bandwidth memory for Nvidia; TSMC leads foundry work.
- Countries
- South Korea
From the original article
2 min read at technologyreview.com
Generative AI models run on powerful chips known as GPUs, which depend on stacks of specialized memory chips packaged with the processor. To meet growing demand for memory, Samsung is building a massive new semiconductor manufacturing complex in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. Three fabs already operate around the clock, and a fourth is coming online.
By Michelle Kim · technologyreview.com
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