Samsung's US Foundry Plant Confirmation Nears... Local Job Creation Already Underway

Construction-related recruitment announcement appears... Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong busy during US business trip

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong (right) and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella are taking a commemorative photo after their meeting on the 20th. (Photo by Samsung Electronics)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Samsung Electronics has begun hiring personnel to oversee the construction of its second foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) plant in the United States, signaling the full-scale investment in the second plant. This move is interpreted as starting with local job creation after Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong completed over a week of business trips in the U.S., wrapping up semiconductor diplomacy and scouting future growth opportunities to some extent.

According to industry sources on the 22nd, Samsung Electronics' Austin subsidiary recently posted several job openings related to the construction of the new plant. Notably, the job posting for a "Construction Project Control Coordinator" lists key responsibilities such as coordinating reviews, permits, and inspections necessary for the new facility construction project. The role appears to involve coordinating construction-related schedules with local government and reviewing related documents and contracts.

Alongside this, personnel to design the overall facility are also being recruited. The job posting for a Facility Project Engineer, responsible for the technical design, safety, and execution of the facility project, states that the candidate must oversee new and renovation construction and evaluate the operation of existing facilities. The Electrical Project Manager position, also posted, is noted to handle tasks related to new and renovation construction. The job posting for an IWT Project Engineer, responsible for ultrapure water and industrial wastewater facilities critical to semiconductor plant operations, mentions in the skills and qualifications section that the candidate will support project planning for technical systems related to new and renovation construction and lead strategic fabs.

Samsung Electronics' job postings are interpreted as signaling that the construction project for the second foundry plant in the U.S. will soon commence. Samsung is expected to finalize and announce the site for its second foundry plant in the U.S. as early as the 23rd, selecting Taylor City in Texas. Given the massive investment of $17 billion (approximately 20 trillion KRW), Samsung has been engaged in intense negotiations with local governments since last year, and with Vice Chairman Lee's visit to the U.S., the final investment location is expected to be selected within this week. A source from the U.S. Congress who met with Vice Chairman Lee on the 18th said, "The candidate sites have been narrowed down, and an official announcement is expected soon."

Vice Chairman Lee is currently making a busy tour across the U.S. for the first time in five years. On the 16th, he met with Moderna Chairman Noubar Afeyan, followed by a conversation with Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg on the 17th. On the 18th and 19th, he met with key members of the U.S. Congress and senior White House officials in Washington D.C. to conduct semiconductor diplomacy. On the 20th, he met with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Amazon executives. Vice Chairman Lee is reported to return to Korea on the 24th.

Samsung executives, including Vice Chairman Kim Ki-nam, are also reportedly visiting the U.S. promptly to keep pace with Vice Chairman Lee's schedule. It has been confirmed that the charter plane used by Samsung Electronics so far is separate from the one used by Vice Chairman Lee for his U.S. trip. Accordingly, Samsung executives are expected to finalize negotiations related to the semiconductor plant and make announcements directly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.