Lee Seok-hee, President of SK Hynix, "Time Left to Introduce EUV at Chinese Factory... Will Respond Well"

Lee Seok-hee, President of SK Hynix

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Lee Seok-hee, CEO of SK Hynix, responded to reports that the U.S. government's opposition may make it difficult to bring extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment into its semiconductor factory in China by stating that since this is a matter with ample time, they will respond well going forward.

On the morning of the 22nd, Lee attended the '14th Semiconductor Day' (commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association) event held at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, and told reporters, "We will cooperate and respond well (with the U.S. government, etc.)." SK Hynix produces DRAM at its plants in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, and Wuxi, China, and since July has been mass-producing the world’s first 10-nanometer 4th generation (1a) DRAM applying EUV at its domestic factory.

When asked by reporters whether the U.S. government's opposition to bringing EUV equipment into China could affect the Wuxi plant, Lee said, "Hasn't 1a DRAM started mass production at headquarters since July?" and added, "(Regarding the China plant) there is still a lot of time left." This implies that since semiconductor mass production using EUV equipment has just begun at the domestic factory, introducing EUV equipment to the relatively lower process-level Chinese plant is an issue that needs to be observed over time.

Regarding the Chinese government's approval of SK Hynix's acquisition of Intel's NAND flash business, Lee said, "We are actively cooperating and collaborating (with the Chinese government, etc.)." Among the eight countries subject to competition authority merger approval reviews, only China’s approval remains for the Intel NAND business acquisition. SK Hynix aims for approval within this year, but concerns exist that the intensifying U.S.-China semiconductor hegemony competition may affect the Chinese government's approval.

Earlier, major foreign media on the 18th (local time) cited multiple sources including White House officials, reporting that "SK Hynix planned to improve semiconductor yield by introducing EUV lithography equipment from Dutch semiconductor equipment company ASML, but it is uncertain whether it can overcome U.S. government opposition." Although U.S. government officials did not mention SK Hynix specifically, they explained that the Biden administration’s stance remains unchanged in blocking the use of U.S. and allied technologies for developing cutting-edge semiconductors that could be used for modernizing the Chinese military.

Meanwhile, at the Semiconductor Day ceremony, awards were given to contributors to the development of the semiconductor industry. A record-high 52 people received awards, and the highest award was upgraded from the Silver Tower to the Gold Tower in accordance with the government’s 'K-Semiconductor Strategy' announced in May.

Lee Jung-bae, President of Samsung Electronics (Chairman of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association), who contributed to the development and mass production of the world’s best mobile and server DRAM, received the highest honor, the Gold Tower Industrial Medal. Choi Myung-bae, CEO of YIK, who led the localization of Korea’s first memory test equipment and played a pioneering role in semiconductor equipment exports, received the Silver Tower Industrial Medal. The Industrial Award was given to Lee Hyun-duk, CEO of Wonik IPS; Lee Sung-jae, Vice President of SK Hynix; and Lee Sang-gi, Vice President of DB HiTek.

In his opening remarks, Chairman Lee said, "Global semiconductor companies are engaged in a silent war to seize the market in the face of the enormous opportunity of the 4th Industrial Revolution," and diagnosed, "Amid uncertainties in the U.S.-China trade conflict, factors threatening the domestic semiconductor industry such as the spread of protectionist trade and global supply chain disruptions persist." He added, "Despite a history full of ups and downs, Korea’s semiconductor industry has continuously challenged and developed," and said, "The association will focus all its capabilities on establishing and promoting future development strategies for the next 30 years, building on the achievements of the past 30 years."

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