More memory: Samsung and SK Hynix are apparently accelerating plant construction
The two memory world market leaders Samsung and SK Hynix could complete new plants earlier than expected. But it will still take time until then.
(Image: heise medien)
The current memory crisis has apparently led to a rethink among the world's largest memory manufacturers. Samsung and SK Hynix are said to have accelerated the construction of new semiconductor plants in their home country of South Korea.
This is reported by the widely circulated South Korean newspaper Chosun. A first plant in a "mega cluster" in Yongin was originally scheduled to be completed in May 2027. According to the current plan, pilot production could begin as early as February or March 2027. Samsung is reportedly moving the completion of its fourth semiconductor plant in Pyeongtaek forward from the first quarter of 2027 to the fourth quarter of 2026. The primary focus will be on DRAM in the form of DDR5 RAM and High Bandwidth Memory (HBM). These memory types are currently particularly scarce.
These new plants could increase the manufacturers' annual memory production by ten percent or more. Chosun specifically mentions 100,000 to 120,000 wafers that Samsung intends to expose per month in the so-called P4 fab. In 2024, Samsung reportedly had an annual production of almost 7.5 million wafers, which is expected to increase to over eight million wafers in 2026 through increased utilization of existing plants. The newspaper cites market researcher Omdia for the figures.
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Long waiting time
A new plant that starts operation at the end of 2026 will contribute significantly to memory availability at the earliest from the end of 2027. On the one hand, it typically takes at least half a year for all systems to be coordinated so that series production can begin. On the other hand, production itself takes several months. And then the components still have to reach the trade or the customers.
The world's third-largest memory manufacturer, Micron, is also building new plants. However, it will also take time until completion here. The manufacturers set the construction plans years ago, but delayed them from 2023 onwards because demand collapsed at the time. At that time, the world market leaders made billions in losses.
In South Korea, the accelerated construction is also considered a response to Chinese competition from YMTC (DRAM) and CXMT (NAND flash for SSDs). According to earlier reports, PC and notebook manufacturers are considering buying Chinese memory to close supply gaps.
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