SEMI: Capital spending booming in Korea
With Korea expected to be the second largest region for fab construction spending in 2014, industry leaders will convene at SEMICON Korea 2014 in Seoul on February 12th to 14th to discuss the latest trends and technologies shaping the future of microelectronics manufacturing.
Fab construction spending is expected to grow from about US$ 1.1billion in 2013 to $1.4 to 1.8 billion in 2014. The 27th annual SEMICON Korea, the leading semiconductor technology event serving the region, will be held at COEX in Seoul. The event opens with a keynote speech by Roawen Chen from Qualcomm on "Mobile Innovation: Leading the Semiconductor Industry to a Smart, Connected World."
Driven by demand for mobile products, capital spending in Korea for fab equipment is forecast to increase from about $5.5 billion in 2013 to $6.5 to $7.5 billion in 2014, according to the SEMI World Fab Forecast database.
Leading the investment activity in 2014, Samsung and Hynix will lead the investment activity in 2014. They are expected to increase their spending on construction and equipment for Front End fabs by a significant amount. Samsung - with its S3 Line (Line 17), 14nm FinFet pilot in S1 and new DRAM line in Line 16 - is expected to be one of the largest fab projects in Korea in 2014.
For Hynix, spending is likely focused on M12, M10, and M11. Hynix also has plans for two new fabs in Icheon with an investment of at least 4 trillion Won (about US$3.8 billion). Groundbreaking of Phase 1 is expected in the first half of 2014 with chip production starting as early as 2015.
This year's event features over 500 leading companies from 20 countries with a record 1,800 exhibition booths displaying and introducing new products and technologies for microelectronics design and manufacturing.
The Executive Forum will provide insight into the current status and forecast of the global semiconductor industry with Chung Lam from IBM speaking on ""˜A Decade of Materials: Advanced Materials for Next Generation Device," followed by presentations on semiconductor materials by Paul R. Besser from GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc., Ichiro Mori from EIDEC, and Edward C. Shober from Air Products Asia Inc.
The Executive Forum will be followed by technology forums (including the Metrology and Inspection Forum, Test Forum, and System LSI Forum: Sensor Technologies), Market Seminar, and SEMI Standards programs.
A complete schedule of technical sessions and events, is accessible on www.semiconkorea.org/ko (Korean) or www.semiconkorea.org/en (English).
Other events include: the Supplier Search Program, attended by the world's leading chip manufacturers; the OEM Supplier Search Meeting which facilitates business cooperation between global suppliers and the nation's parts manufacturers; and the President Reception, a networking event in which the leading companies in the industry get together.
LED Korea 2014 (www.led-korea.org/en/), the nation's single exhibition dedicated to LED technology, will be co-located with SEMICON Korea. The event offers presentations on the LED industry and applications by experts from both academic and industrial circles.
Highlights include keynote presentations from Euijoon Yoon from Seoul National University and Tae-kyung Yoo, CEO and president of Lumens.
SEMICON Korea 2014 provides an opportunity learn about the overall trends in the semiconductor manufacturing industry and create new markets. Free online registration (includes exhibition and keynote speech/Executive Forum) is currently available until February 5th www.semiconkorea.org.
Korean-English simultaneous translation will be available for many of the events and sessions at SEMICON Korea.
