According to Korean media etnews, the US semiconductor equipment company Lam Research plans to transfer the R&D center to South Korea, because South Korea is the leader in the memory market, and the company believes that South Korea will continue to lead the future third-generation semiconductor market.
According to the report, one of the main reasons for Lam Research to transfer its R&D center to South Korea is because it wants to support Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix as close competitors.
South Korea is an important market for Lam Research, with 35% of its sales coming from South Korea. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are also inseparable from Lam Research. Only when they cooperate with semiconductor equipment and materials companies such as Lam Research can they use new technology to keep a distance from other peers and lead the future market.
In addition, semiconductor manufacturers' R&D process needs to be visited by semiconductor equipment companies. Samsung and Hynix and Lam Research are the same. Intel and TSMC often visit the Lam Research headquarters in Fremont to learn about the latest. Semiconductor equipment.
However, this method of collaboration has limitations. Due to the time difference and the distance between the United States and South Korea, it is almost impossible to conduct frequent discussions. Lam Research, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix need a lot of time and money. In addition, because Lam Research has transactions with many semiconductor companies, Samsung and SK Hynix will also worry that key information and technology will be leaked by people visiting the Lam Research R&D Center.
A senior official at a multinational semiconductor equipment company said: "Although Lam Research provides customers with a designated space and only allows authorized personnel to access their technology, many people still believe that critical information and technology may be leaked."
Samsung Electronics shares a common interest with SK Hynix and Lam Research. However, the latest decision of Lam Research has caused such a big concern because the company almost recognized that South Korea will become a hub for the storage semiconductor industry.
But the transfer of R&D centers by large semiconductor equipment companies like Lam Research is bound to pose significant risks, such as offending or even losing other customers (such as Intel and TSMC). Despite these risks, Lam Research believes that South Korea will lead the memory semiconductor market for at least a decade and move its R&D center to South Korea, which will bring greater value in the future.
Lam Research is not the first company to have such an "impulse." It is understood that the world's largest semiconductor equipment company application materials also decided to establish a research and development center in South Korea. The decision has now been approved internally and is being studied how and when to establish its R&D center.
The transfer and construction of Lam Research and Applied Materials R&D Center will bring economic benefits and vitality to the entire Korean semiconductor industry. The two companies will carry out research and development of key technologies in Korea in the future, bringing a virtuous circle for the Korean semiconductor industry. It is reported that Lam Research plans to produce key components for Korean semiconductor equipment through Korea's R&D center.
Etnews believes that with the establishment of R&D centers in South Korea such as Lam Research and Applied Materials, other foreign semiconductor-related companies may also flock to South Korea.
The CEO of a Korean semiconductor equipment company said: "When Lam Research moves its R&D center, it is very likely that it will directly hire experienced personnel who have worked in Samsung Electronics and other companies, as well as recent graduates in physics and mathematics. After two years of working at Lam Research, if they go to work in other new business areas, the Korean semiconductor industry will be full of life."
Currently, Lam Research has discussed with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the transfer of research and development centers. It is expected that a memorandum of understanding will be signed with Gyeonggi Province at the end of this month and the R&D center will be officially transferred.
Semiconductor companies should have developed together in the form of a cluster. The decision of Lam Research and Applied Materials represents an important judgment in the upstream of semiconductors. How will the Korean semiconductor industry be affected? Is the future of the semiconductor industry really Korean? Jiwei.com will continue to track reports.