Gwak No-jeong, President of SK Hynix, "Reviewing Site for US Packaging Facility... Not Finalized"

"Attendance at China Forum is for Strategic Review"

As interest grows regarding the location of the advanced semiconductor packaging facility that SK Hynix will introduce in the United States, on the 27th, SK Hynix President Kwak No-jeong stated, "It is under review but not yet finalized."

President Kwak made these remarks after meeting with reporters following the 76th regular shareholders' meeting of SK Hynix held at the Supex Hall at the headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. When asked when the site would be finalized, he avoided specifying a timeline, saying, "I will announce it once it is confirmed."

Earlier, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 26th (local time), citing local sources, that SK Hynix plans to introduce an advanced semiconductor packaging plant in West Lafayette, western Indiana. Prior to that, the UK Financial Times reported earlier this month that SK Hynix had selected a site for a semiconductor packaging plant in Indiana.

The WSJ explained that SK Hynix initially intended to build the plant in Arizona but ultimately chose Indiana considering the advantages in securing manpower. West Lafayette, Indiana, is home to Purdue University, which operates the largest semiconductor and microelectronics program in the United States.

Regarding these foreign media reports, SK Hynix stated that "nothing has been decided."

Inside and outside the semiconductor industry, it is expected that SK Hynix will strengthen its competitiveness in HBM, a memory semiconductor for AI, through the advanced semiconductor packaging plant to be established in the United States. Dylan Patel, senior researcher at the US semiconductor consulting firm SemiAnalysis, predicted, "SK Hynix's plant will be the first major facility for large-scale HBM packaging in the United States."

Meanwhile, President Kwak explained the background of his recent attendance at the China Development Forum by saying, "I went to conduct a strategic review." He added, "After the conclusion of the Chinese National People's Congress, we wanted to review the business environment and policy changes in China as they relate to our operations," and explained, "We looked into whether there was anything to reflect in our business."