SK hynix completes construction of new chip plant in S. Korea

SK hynix Inc. has completed the construction of its M16 chip fabrication plant at its main production base in Icheon to expand its presence in the memory sector.

The M16 has extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment that allows SK hynix to manufacture chips with finer circuit patterns, such as the fourth-generation 10-nanometer DRAM products, which it is set to mass-produce beginning June.

SK hynix CEO Lee Seok-hee described M16 as a complex manufacturing plant equipped with cutting-edge infrastructures, such as dedicated space for EUV equipment and advanced pollution reduction facilities.

It took over two years of construction for SK Hynix, South Korea's No. 2 chipmaker and the world's second-largest DRAM maker, to complete the plant.

SK hyinx invested 20 trillion won, including manufacturing equipment, in the facility. Of that amount, 3.5 trillion won went to the construction of the plant.

The new factory is the company's biggest, measuring 163 meters wide, 336 meters long, and 105 meters high, which is equivalent to a 37-story building.

According to SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, they were apprehensive when they began construction two years ago due to the downturn of the semiconductor memory industry.

He added that since the industry anticipates upcoming positive market conditions, they made the bold decision to proceed with the project.

The M16, says Cey, signals the "beginning point" of Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, where SK hynix plans to invest a total of 122 trillion won for a chip manufacturing industrial complex.

He added that the M16 would contribute to the ESG management as well as create economic value.