US, Japan emerge as Korean chipmakers' production bases amid AI boom

The United States and Japan are emerging as major production bases for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix as they expand capacity for AI semiconductors. The U.S. offers customer proximity, incentives and possible tariff relief, while Japan offers supplier networks, utilities and subsidies. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won called Japan a very attractive candidate for joint production with Kioxia. Samsung and SK hynix are also pushing investment at home.

Japan has been discussed as a potential manufacturing base for SK hynix because of its semiconductor equipment and materials suppliers, including Tokyo Electron.

The Japanese government plans to provide up to 1.2 trillion yen for TSMC’s first and second Kumamoto fabs and as much as 500 billion yen for Micron’s expansion in Hiroshima.

Samsung Electronics is building an advanced foundry in Taylor, Texas, where the first fab is expected to begin production by the end of this year and a second fab is under review.

The U.S. government has committed up to $4.7 billion in direct funding to support Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor investment in Texas.

SK hynix approved 54.3 trillion won for new fabs in Yongin and Cheongju, and the Indiana packaging facility is scheduled to begin mass production of HBM4E in the third quarter of 2029.

Published Sep 6, 2026 4:31 pm KST

Chipmakers weigh US' customer access against Japan's chip supply chain

Samsung and SK hynix's corporate logos seen outside their buildings / Yonhap

The United States and Japan are emerging as the next key production bases for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, as the chipmakers accelerate capacity expansion to meet surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors.

Both countries offer advantages, with the U.S. allowing greater proximity to major customers including Nvidia and Tesla, as well as incentives that could help offset investment costs and potentially reduce exposure to semiconductor tariffs from the Donald Trump administration.

Japan has a well-established ecosystem of chip equipment and materials suppliers, reliable power and water supplies in some regions and substantial government subsidies for semiconductor investments.

For chipmakers, the choice of location extends beyond customer proximity, with reliable supplies of electricity and water and government incentives becoming increasingly important as companies commit billions of dollars to new fabs.

“Companies look closely at incentives, including infrastructure and subsidies,” an industry official said. “They first need to assess whether water and electricity can be supplied easily.”

Japan has recently gained particular attention from SK hynix as a potential manufacturing base. The country is home to major semiconductor equipment and materials suppliers, such as Tokyo Electron. TSMC, which manufactures the base die for SK hynix’s high-bandwidth memory 4 (HBM4), operates fabs in Kumamoto and Micron produces DRAM in Hiroshima.

The Japanese government has also offered substantial financial support to attract chip investment. It plans to provide up to 1.2 trillion yen ($7.73 billion) in subsidies for TSMC’s first and second Kumamoto fabs and as much as 500 billion yen for Micron’s expansion in Hiroshima.

Officials load semiconductors from Samsung Electronics and SK hynix onto a plane bound for Hong Kong at Korean Air’s cargo terminal at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, July 30. Joint Press Corps

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won also signaled growing interest in Japan. In an interview with Japan’s Asahi Shimbun earlier this month, Chey said joint production with Kioxia was “one option” and that the companies could also cooperate on research and development, supply-chain sharing and potentially building a factory together.

“Even considering risks and cultural aspects, it is a very attractive candidate,” Chey said.

The chairman has cited Japan’s concentration of semiconductor equipment and materials suppliers and its strong manufacturing base as key advantages, saying SK Group was looking across the country for potential sites.

However, the U.S. remains a key option as Washington steps up pressure on foreign chipmakers to expand domestic production.

Samsung Electronics is building an advanced foundry in Taylor, Texas, with the first fab expected to begin production by the end of this year and a second fab under review for additional capacity. Tesla’s next-generation AI5 chip is expected to be produced at the site using the company’s 2-nanometer process.

Meanwhile, SK hynix last month broke ground on an advanced packaging and research facility in Indiana, where it plans to package HBM using memory wafers produced in Korea. The facility is scheduled to begin mass production of HBM4E in the third quarter of 2029.

Washington’s push has intensified as the Trump administration prepares targeted tariffs on semiconductors.

"I think what you're going to see is targeted, thoughtful tariff policy that basically says if you build here, you don't pay, but if you don't build here, expect to pay to enter the greatest market in the world," U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a CNBC interview on Wednesday (local time), increasing pressure on Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to expand local manufacturing.

The pressure comes as both companies are also accelerating investment at home. SK hynix recently approved 54.3 trillion won for new fabs in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, to expand DRAM and NAND production, while Samsung Electronics is advancing plans to expand its domestic semiconductor footprint, including new fabs in Gwangju.

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随着三星电子和SK海力士扩大人工智能半导体产能，美国和日本正成为这两家公司的主要生产基地。美国拥有得天独厚的优势，例如靠近客户、优惠政策和可能的关税减免；而日本则提供供应商网络、公共设施和补贴。SK集团董事长崔泰元称日本是与铠侠（Kioxia）进行联合生产的极具吸引力的选择。三星和SK海力士也在加大对国内的投资。

由于日本拥有包括东京电子在内的半导体设备和材料供应商，因此日本被认为是SK海力士潜在的制造基地。

日本政府计划为台积电在熊本的第一座和第二座晶圆厂提供高达 1.2 万亿日元的资金，并为美光在广岛的扩建项目提供高达 5000 亿日元的资金。

三星电子正在德克萨斯州泰勒市建设一座先进的晶圆代工厂，第一座晶圆厂预计将于今年年底开始投产，第二座晶圆厂正在评估中。

美国政府已承诺提供高达 47 亿美元的直接资金，以支持三星电子在德克萨斯州的半导体投资。

SK 海力士已批准向龙仁和清州的新晶圆厂投资 54.3 万亿韩元，位于印第安纳州的封装厂计划于 2029 年第三季度开始量产 HBM4E。

发布于2026年9月6日下午4:31（韩国标准时间）

芯片制造商权衡美国客户准入与日本芯片供应链之间的关系

三星和SK海力士的办公楼外可见其公司标识 / 韩联社

随着芯片制造商加速扩大产能以满足人工智能 (AI) 半导体的激增需求，美国和日本正成为三星电子和 SK 海力士的下一个关键生产基地。

两国各有优势，美国允许企业更接近英伟达和特斯拉等主要客户，并提供激励措施，以帮助抵消投资成本，并有可能降低因唐纳德·特朗普政府对半导体征收关税而面临的风险。

日本拥有完善的芯片设备和材料供应商生态系统，部分地区电力和水供应可靠，政府还为半导体投资提供大量补贴。

对于芯片制造商而言，选址不仅仅取决于与客户的距离，随着企业投入数十亿美元建设新工厂，可靠的电力和水供应以及政府激励措施也变得越来越重要。

一位业内人士表示：“企业会仔细研究各种激励措施，包括基础设施和补贴。他们首先需要评估水和电的供应是否便利。”

SK海力士近期对日本作为潜在的制造基地格外关注。日本拥有众多主要的半导体设备和材料供应商，例如东京电子。台积电为SK海力士的高带宽内存4（HBM4）生产基板芯片，其晶圆厂位于熊本；美光科技则在广岛生产DRAM。

日本政府也提供了大量财政支持以吸引芯片投资。政府计划为台积电在熊本的第一座和第二座工厂提供高达1.2万亿日元（77.3亿美元）的补贴，并为美光在广岛的扩建项目提供高达5000亿日元的补贴。

7月30日，在仁川国际机场的大韩航空货运站，工作人员将三星电子和SK海力士的半导体产品装上飞往香港的飞机。（联合新闻社）

SK集团会长崔泰元也表达了对日本市场日益浓厚的兴趣。本月初，崔泰元在接受日本《朝日新闻》采访时表示，与铠侠（Kioxia）进行联合生产是“一种选择”，两家公司还可以在研发、供应链共享以及潜在的建厂等环节展开合作。

“即使考虑到风险和文化因素，它仍然是一个非常有吸引力的候选人，”Chey说道。

董事长指出，日本半导体设备和材料供应商的集中度以及强大的制造业基础是其主要优势，并表示SK集团正在全国范围内寻找潜在的选址。

然而，随着华盛顿加大对外国芯片制造商的压力，要求其扩大国内生产，美国仍然是一个关键选择。

三星电子正在德克萨斯州泰勒市建设一座先进的晶圆代工厂，首座晶圆厂预计将于今年年底投产，第二座晶圆厂正在评估中，以扩大产能。特斯拉的下一代AI5芯片预计将在该工厂采用三星的2纳米工艺生产。

与此同时，SK海力士上个月在印第安纳州破土动工兴建一座先进封装和研发中心，计划在该中心使用韩国生产的存储晶圆封装HBM。该中心预计将于2029年第三季度开始量产HBM4E。

随着特朗普政府准备对半导体征收定向关税，华盛顿的施压力度也随之加大。

美国商务部长霍华德·卢特尼克周三（当地时间）在接受CNBC采访时表示：“我认为你们将会看到有针对性的、深思熟虑的关税政策，其基本含义是，如果你在这里建厂，你就不用缴税；但如果你不在这里建厂，就得做好为进入世界上最大的市场付费的准备。”此举加大了三星电子和SK海力士扩大本地生产的压力。

两家公司都在加快国内投资，压力也随之而来。SK海力士近期批准了54.3万亿韩元的投资，用于在京畿道龙仁市和忠清北道清州市新建晶圆厂，以扩大DRAM和NAND闪存的生产；与此同时，三星电子也在推进扩大其在韩国国内半导体业务的计划，包括在光州新建晶圆厂。

韩国芯片制造商面临着越来越大的提高股东回报的呼声。

消息人士称，美国寻求分享韩国芯片制造商的“超额利润”。