[Click eStock] "DI, Growth Potential Equipped by Large-Scale Semiconductor Investments from Samsung and SK"

On the 6th, KB Securities evaluated that DIA has secured a steep growth engine through large-scale semiconductor facility investments by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

DIA is a semiconductor inspection equipment company that supplies 'semiconductor packaging testers' to Samsung Electronics. Its consolidated subsidiary, Digital Frontier (DF), has succeeded in domestic production of DRAM and NAND flash wafer testers and supplies them to SK Hynix. The business structure is such that equipment orders increase as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix increase semiconductor facility investments.

SK Hynix plans to invest $3.87 billion by next year to establish an advanced semiconductor packaging facility in Indiana, USA. The core goals are the development of high-performance memory, High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), and integrated packaging. Full-scale production lines are expected to begin operation in the second half of 2028.

Domestically, large-scale investments are planned in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk Province. Approximately 9.4 trillion KRW will be invested in the Yongin semiconductor cluster, with completion targeted for May 2027. In Cheongju, more than 20 trillion KRW will be invested, including construction costs for the M15X fab.

KB Securities analyst Kwon Tae-woo stated, "Production of HBM wafer testers is becoming full-scale," and estimated, "From January this year, including orders for DDR5, at least 100 units of equipment will be supplied."

Analyst Kwon added, "Along with improvements to equipment for HBM3, development of equipment for HBM4 is also underway," and forecasted, "As the number of HBM stacks increases, the number of tester devices required to resolve testing bottlenecks is likely to increase."

He expected, "This will provide a solid foundation for DIA to continuously grow in the fields of HBM, DRAM, NAND, and packaging."