Effectively Viewing South Korea's Semiconductor Cutting-Edge Facility Investments and Scale at a Glance
▲Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Semiconductor Plant Line 1 Overview. (Provided by Samsung Electronics)
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Sun-mi]State-of-the-art facilities. The largest single semiconductor production line in the world. If U.S. President Joe Biden visits Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek semiconductor plant during his visit to Korea from the 20th to the 22nd of this month, it will be the first visit by a U.S. president to a domestic semiconductor factory. Through his visit to Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek semiconductor plant, described as having 'state-of-the-art facilities' and the 'largest scale,' President Biden is expected to review Samsung Electronics' semiconductor facility scale and production line status and draw a concrete plan for semiconductor cooperation between Korea and the U.S.
According to business circles on the 16th, President Biden is expected to visit Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek semiconductor plant during this visit to Korea. It is highly likely that Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong will personally guide the production line tour. Since Samsung Electronics discloses part of Line 1 at the Pyeongtaek semiconductor plant under confidentiality conditions to major clients or specially invited VIPs, it is expected that President Biden will focus on Line 1 during his visit to the Pyeongtaek plant.
Currently, Lines 1 and 2 are operational at the Pyeongtaek plant, and Line 3 is in the final stages of construction, scheduled to begin operation within the first half of the year. Line 4 is currently undergoing site preparation for construction. After viewing part of Line 1 through the exhibition booth, President Biden is likely to be curious about the investment status of Lines 3 and 4, which are not yet operational.
In the semiconductor industry, Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek plant is considered the largest single semiconductor production line in the world and is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, making it a place of inevitable interest for President Biden, who aims to foster the semiconductor industry. Even just looking at Line 1, which involved an investment of over 30 trillion won, one can estimate the semiconductor production capacity within the Pyeongtaek plant through its facility equipment and layout structure. Additionally, the construction progress of Lines 3 and 4 can provide insight into Korea's current position in the semiconductor industry.
An industry insider said, "Since Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek plant houses both memory and foundry, which are strengths of the Korean semiconductor industry, the U.S. will have great interest in the facility scale and production line status," adding, "In the past, former President Donald Trump expressed surprise at the scale of Samsung's semiconductor production facilities from a helicopter, so the U.S. side will be curious about the status of Samsung's semiconductor plant."
Next month, Samsung Electronics is set to begin construction of its second foundry plant in Taylor, Texas, with an investment of 20 trillion won, so President Biden might envision the completed Taylor plant by seeing the Pyeongtaek plant.
The industry expects President Biden's visit to Samsung's semiconductor plant to also aid semiconductor cooperation between Korea and the U.S. Another semiconductor industry official said, "He will likely gain a lot of insight into the Korean semiconductor industry," adding, "Since the Korea-U.S. summit on the 21st is expected to focus on economic security issues centered on strengthening semiconductor supply chain cooperation, the on-site visit can play an important role in concretizing semiconductor cooperation between Korea and the U.S."
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