Korean chip and battery suppliers expand U.S. operations amid AI boom
Suppliers of semiconductor and battery equipment are expanding U.S. operations as AI data centers boost demand and Washington reshapes supply chains away from China.
Representatives of Korean materials, parts and equipment companies hold investment consultations with U.S. manufacturers at a global partnering event hosted by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency in Illinois on Sept. 8 and 9.KOTRA
More Korean companies that supply parts and equipment for chips and batteries are setting up operations in the United States, as Washington pushes to bring manufacturing home amid tensions with China and the AI boom fuels demand for data centers.
Chip packaging equipment maker Hanmi Semiconductor opened a U.S. subsidiary in San Jose, California, on Oct. 16. The company holds the top global market share in thermal compression bonders, which apply heat and pressure at the same time to attach chips to one another, a process essential for producing high bandwidth memory (HBM).
Having relied on SK hynix for 95 percent of its sales, Hanmi Semiconductor aims to use the subsidiary to expand its customer base to overseas companies.
Several chipmakers are building U.S. plants that will need such equipment. Intel began operating a packaging plant in Arizona late last year, while Micron and SK hynix are set to begin building plants in Idaho and Indiana in 2027 and 2028, respectively.
“We chose San Jose in Silicon Valley, where global chip companies are concentrated, as our local operating base,” a Hanmi Semiconductor representative said. “We will deploy skilled engineers and provide close technical support in line with these companies’ schedules for starting operations at their new U.S. plants.”
Hanmi Semiconductor Chairman Kwak Dong-shin, center, and company executives and employees attend the opening ceremony of the company's U.S. subsidiary, Hanmi USA, on Oct. 16.HANMI SEMICONDUCTOR
Korean suppliers of energy storage system (ESS) components are also setting up production bases in the United States. The spread of AI data centers has raised demand for ESS to ensure a stable power supply, coinciding with U.S. companies’ efforts to reduce their reliance on Chinese batteries.
In Indiana, secondary battery component maker Seojin System began operating a plant in July, and Hanjung NCS is building a production facility. Both supply ESS components to Samsung SDI America. Shinsung ST, which supplies LG Energy Solution, has built a plant in Kentucky.
“Domestic customers still account for a large share of our sales, but we plan to diversify our client base to local U.S. companies,” a Shinsung ST spokesperson said.
About 80 Korean companies took part in recent partnering events for materials, parts and equipment makers hosted by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra) in Chicago and San Francisco, holding some 700 export consultations.
“There were many cases of companies considering replacing imported parts with Korean products,” said a representative from Justem, which makes humidity control systems for semiconductor wafers. “We felt firsthand that demand for Korean products is high in the United States amid the trend of diversifying supply chains.”
“Local demand for Korean materials, parts and equipment is growing as manufacturing investment in the United States expands and supply chains are reshaped,” a Kotra spokesperson said. “It is time to build a virtuous cycle that goes beyond simple exports to joint research and development and local investment.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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