Hanmi Semiconductor Invests $91.4M in Largest-Ever Production Facility
The South Korean equipment maker is acquiring an Incheon plant to accelerate the supply of AI and HBM packaging tools.
Hanmi Semiconductor is investing US$91.4 million (KRW 130 billion) to establish Plant 8, the largest production facility in the company's history. The expansion aims to meet surging global demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and AI chip equipment.
The company is acquiring an existing factory from Mercury Co., Ltd., located in the Juan National Industrial Complex in Incheon, South Korea. Of the total investment, US$39.4 million (KRW 56 billion) is dedicated to the site acquisition. The new facility covers approximately 221,683 square feet and will manufacture a suite of advanced tools, including TC bonders, hybrid bonders, 2.5D packaging equipment, and BOC/COB bonders. Hanmi expects mass production at the site to begin in the second quarter of 2027.
Scaling for the AI Boom
This move follows a US$70.3 million (KRW 100 billion) investment in Plant 7 during 2025, which focused primarily on hybrid bonders. This aggressive expansion responds directly to the global AI boom, which has created a critical need for advanced packaging solutions. Major industry players, including SK hynix, TSMC, Micron, and Intel, are scaling their fabrication schedules to keep pace with the infrastructure requirements of the AI era.
Strategic Time-to-Market
By acquiring an existing facility rather than building from the ground up, Hanmi aims to bypass the long lead times and equipment shortages currently affecting the semiconductor industry. This strategy allows the company to accelerate its time-to-market and secure a competitive edge by ensuring a stable equipment supply for its customers.
In a company statement, Hanmi Semiconductor noted that the ability to supply semiconductor equipment on time, in alignment with the investment plans of customers' manufacturing facilities, represents a key competitive advantage for equipment providers.
Future Outlook
The industry will now watch how quickly Hanmi can integrate the Incheon site into its production chain. While the company has outlined a clear path toward 2027, the success of Plant 8 depends on the continued trajectory of AI infrastructure growth and the company's ability to scale its hybrid and TC bonder output to meet the aggressive timelines of the world's leading chipmakers. As AI workloads increase, the demand for HBM3E and next-generation packaging will likely dictate the pace of utilization for these new facilities.