Samsung pumps $18B into memory chip production

 

In a bid to widen its memory chip lead, Samsung Electronics has announced that it will invest at least $18.6 billion to grow its semiconductor manufacturing facilities in South Korea.

 

By 2021, investments in Samsung's Pyeongtaek plant—which has already seen ₩15.6 trillion ($13.5 billion) of spending—would rise to ₩30 trillion ($26 billion), the company said in a statement. Samsung is also investing ₩6 trillion ($5 billion) in its Hwaseong site for a semiconductor fabrication line optimized to install state-of-the-art infrastructure, including Extreme Ultra Violet (EUV) equipment.

 

The semiconductor fabrication line in Pyeongtaek, the largest single fab in the industry, has already begun mass production and shipping its first product to customers, according to Samsung. The new facility will focus on the production of Samsung’s fourth-generation V-NAND (64 layers), adding to the company’s leading capacity for memory products.

 

Outside of South Korea, Samsung also plans to construct a second semiconductor fabrication line in Xi’an, China, site are also under review. Samsung’s first semiconductor fabrication line in Xi’an was constructed in 2014 and is presently in full operation.