Though previous rumors suggested that there might be a downward revision of its HBM capacity target due to delayed progress on 12-Hi HBM3e, Samsung’s officials have stated that it will enhance its semiconductor packaging facilities in South Chungcheong Province to increase the production of HBM, according to a report by the Korea Herald.

Samsung aims to complete the new facilities by December 2027, which will feature advanced packaging lines for HBM chips, the Korea Herald report indicates.

However, it is worth noting that the capacity is not built from scratch. According to the report, Samsung will repurpose an underutilized liquid crystal display plant, previously owned by Samsung Display, into a semiconductor fabrication facility. The plant is said to be located in Cheonan, approximately 85 kilometers south of Seoul.

According to the report, Samsung anticipates that the upgraded facilities in Cheonan will help the company regain its competitive edge in the global semiconductor market.

The current HBM leader, SK hynix, is reportedly investing in advanced chip packaging as well, as it aims to capture more demand for HBM in the AI boom.

According to a previous report by Bloomberg, Lee Kang-Wook, currently leading SK Hynix’s packaging research and development, stated that the company is investing over USD 1 billion in South Korea to expand and enhance the final steps of its chip manufacturing process.

On the other hand, Micron stated last year that in response to the growing demand in the AI market, it will continue to invest in advanced processes and packaging technologies to produce HBM products. Micron Taiwan is reportedly the only Micron facility globally with advanced packaging capabilities.

This August, Taiwanese panel maker AUO announced that it will sell three idled manufacturing facilities in Tainan, Southern Taiwan as Micron emerged as the buyer. Micron is also mulling HBM expansion in Malaysia and the U.S.

Read more

• [News] SK hynix and Samsung Reportedly Step up Focus on HBM4 and CXL amid Rising Chinese Competition
• [News] Samsung Reportedly Starts Developing Custom HBM4 for Big CSPs, Eyeing Mass Production by 2025

(Photo credit: Samsung)

As global economic growth slows, many central banks around the world have begun to cut interest rates in an effort to reignite economic expansion. One of the main reasons driving this move is that the year-on-year inflation rate in most countries has gradually declined from its post-pandemic peak to their targeted “2%” level.

In theory, moderating price growth should bolster consumer optimism, as it suggests that inflation’s erosion of wage gains is easing. Yet why do media reports still frequently highlight consumers struggling under the weight of high living costs?

The answer lies in the fact that the inflation rate measures year-over-year price changes. While current price growth may have slowed compared to the previous year, it does not change the fact that prices have significantly risen from the pre-pandemic levels.

(Source: BLS, EuroStat, Statistic Bureau of Japan, TrendForce)

Take the United States as an example. The latest CPI and core CPI year-on-year growth rates were 2.4% and 3.3%, respectively, marking their slowest pace in nearly three years. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, core PCE, stood at 2.7%, down significantly from its peak of 5.6% in February 2022, reflecting a 2.9 percentage point decline.

Read more at Datatrack

However, consumer perceptions often remain anchored to periods of lower prices, making it difficult to truly appreciate the recent moderation in price growth. From the perspective of consumers, prices for goods are still higher than they were a few years ago, even if the pace of increase has slowed.

According to average price data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, most goods have seen price increases of around 20-40% over the past few years. Importantly, these elevated prices are unlikely to revert unless deflation occurs—something the Federal Reserve is unlikely to allow.

(Source: BLS)

Additionally, while wage growth has outpaced inflation since mid-2023, overall wage increases since the pandemic have remained below the cumulative rise in inflation. This has been a key factor in the decline in consumer confidence and the frustration with persistently high inflation in recent years.

(Source: BLS, Fred, TrendForce)

According to a report from Liberty Times, citing the Reuters, on Monday (11th), South Korea’s ruling party proposed a special semiconductor bill to provide subsidies for chip manufacturers and remove the national cap on working hours, addressing potential risks stemming from Trump’s threats of tariffs and chip-related measures.

The bill would allow some employees involved in R&D to work longer hours, exempting them from the labor law’s 52-hour weekly work limit, as noted by the report.

The report indicated that as Asia’s fourth-largest economy, South Korea is highly dependent on trade, with the semiconductor industry playing a critical role. According to the Reuters report, chips accounted for 16% of South Korea’s total exports last year.

One of the bill’s sponsors, lawmaker Lee Chul-gyu, stated that China, Japan, Taiwan, and the U.S. are all subsidizing manufacturers amid the semiconductor trade war between the U.S. and China, and this bill will help South Korean companies face these challenges, as indicated by the report from the Reuters.

Last week, according to the report, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol cautioned about the risks arising from Trump’s threat to impose steep tariffs on Chinese imports, which could lead Chinese competitors to lower export prices and undermine Korean chip companies in international markets.

The report noted that the ruling party’s bill comes as chipmakers like Samsung Electronics face increasing competition from rivals in Taiwan, China, and other countries.

On the other hand, the report pointed out that the bill proposed by the ruling party still requires approval from the main opposition party to pass.

Samsung’s labor union has also voiced opposition, arguing that the company is using the law as an excuse for its “management failure,” as the report noted.

The report pointed out that, last month, Samsung issued an apology for its disappointing profits, acknowledging that it had fallen behind competitors TSMC and SK Hynix in capitalizing on the surging demand for AI chips.

Read more

• [News] South Korea’s Labor Regulations May Weaken its Semiconductor Competitiveness
• [News] Samsung Reportedly Joins TSMC in Halting 7nm and Below AI Chip Supplies to China

(Photo credit: Samsung)

According to a Reuters report, the Japanese government has proposed a USD 65.1 billion (JPY 10 trillion) plan to boost the domestic chip and AI industry through subsidies and other financial support.

The plan aims to provide support totaling USD 65 billion (JPY 10 trillion) by fiscal 2030, with the goal of strengthening Japan’s control over its chip supply chain in response to potential impacts from U.S.-China trade tensions, as noted in the report.

The report indicated that Japan’s government is set to submit this plan to the next parliamentary session, and the draft includes financial support for mass production of next-generation chips, specifically targeting Rapidus and other AI chip suppliers. The report highlighted that, the government anticipates an economic impact of approximately JPY 160 trillion according to the draft.

Rapidus is scheduled to begin mass production of cutting-edge chips in Hokkaido starting in 2027, in collaboration with IBM and the Belgium-based research organization Imec, as the report pointed out.

According to the report, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that the government would not issue deficit-covering bonds to fund the chip industry support plan. However, detailed information on how the plan will be financed has not been disclosed.

Last year, the Japanese government announced that it would allocate approximately JPY 2 trillion to boost its chip industry, as the report noted.

The latest plan is part of a comprehensive economic package anticipated for Cabinet approval on November 22, calling for a total investment of JPY 50 trillion in the chip industry from both public and private sectors over the next 10 years, according to the report from the Reuters.

Read more

• [News] Japanese Chipmaker Rapidus to Receive EUV Machine by Year-end, Boosting Hokkaido’s Economy
• [News] Sony and Kioxia Reportedly Plan Additional Investments in Chip Foundry Rapidus

(Photo credit: Rapidus)

With Trump’s inauguration in January, “Made in America” is expected to dominate, driving an urgent push for semiconductor packaging and equipment companies to relocate to North America. Coupled with TSMC’s Arizona plant set to start mass production early next year, the Commercial Times reports that industry insiders foresee a surge in investments across the North American semiconductor supply chain.

TSMC’s Arizona fab is in the final stages of preparing for 4nm production, with a projected monthly capacity of 20,000 to 30,000 wafers. The company previously signed an MOU with Amkor Technology, a partnership widely seen as supporting advanced and back-end packaging efforts.

On November 8, however, leading packaging and testing company ASE also announced plans to set up a facility in Mexico, aiming to offer advanced packaging services for TSMC’s U.S.-produced chips.

Industry sources cited by Commercial Times speculate that ASE’s Mexico plant, once complete, could compete with Amkor for TSMC’s packaging and testing orders from the Arizona fab. Following the packaging process, the chips could be delivered directly to U.S.-based OEM/ODM partners, including Foxconn, Wistron, and Inventec, for final product assembly, completing the “Made in America” manufacturing chain.

The report also highlights TSMC’s stronghold on advanced packaging technologies such as 3D Fabric and SoIC, required for 2nm production, as well as SoW (system-on-wafer) technology. To meet customer demands, TSMC may need to establish in-house advanced packaging capabilities in the U.S. for even more advanced processes.

TSMC’s advanced packaging line is already highly automated, with optimized production flows reduced from over 300 steps to just over 200, and its gross margin is approaching the company average. The Commercial Times quotes industry experts who suggest that setting up advanced packaging capacity in the U.S. should be straightforward for TSMC, given its extensive experience in wafer fab construction, making it a matter of time.

(Photo credit: TSMC)