According to the "Nation**", Biden ** decided to cooperate with Japan on the joint R&D and mass production plan of 3nm and 2nm chip process technology, and invested in the establishment of laboratories and factories. However, South Korea, another semiconductor giant in East Asia, has hardly seen a presence in this series of plans. According to the news, in the past few years, the global sales of South Korean chips have become the biggest competitor of the United States, similar to the "semiconductor risk" posed by Japan to the United States in the 80s of the last century. Therefore, there is a view that Biden is taking the opportunity to suppress South Korea and try to make American companies the dominant players in the semiconductor industry, and it is in their interests that Samsung, SK and other companies are developing slowly.
In addition to the pressure from the United States, South Korea has also been affected by the volume of semiconductor exports to China. After joining the "Chip Quadripartite Alliance", South Korea's semiconductor exports to China fell sharply, and China took measures to reduce imports to eliminate risks. This has left chip sales in South Korea facing major problems.
In response to the predicament faced by South Korea's semiconductor industry, South Korea's ** Yoon Suk-yeol has adopted a different strategy to try to break through the current predicament. Recently, Yoon Suk-yeol visited the headquarters of ASML, a Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer, and announced a new decision with the CEOs of Samsung and SK Corporation, that is, ASML and Samsung will invest 1 trillion won to establish a semiconductor R&D center in South Korea, and jointly cultivate a large number of semiconductor talents to create a "semiconductor alliance". Although South Korea has no previous experience in producing semiconductor manufacturing equipment, the investment in ASML's latest generation of semiconductor production equipment will be necessary to produce high-end chips. Therefore, in the future, South Korea may focus on manufacturing new equipment, not just chips.
There are perhaps two main considerations behind this decision. First, South Korea, which used to rely heavily on the sale of manufactured chips, is now reorienting itself to develop and produce the "necessities" of chips, expanding its market globally and avoiding influence from countries such as China. Second, the U.S. side has made it clear that it does not want South Korea to continue to participate in R&D programs, and South Korea has chosen to engage in the development of semiconductor equipment to maintain its competitiveness in the future.
South Korea's chip industry faces both internal and external challenges. The report also pointed out that this year's operating results of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix will reach the worst level in nearly 15 years. Although Samsung's 3nm chips have begun mass production, the yield rate and customer popularity are far behind the United States and TSMC, which plans to start mass production of 2nm chips in 2025. South Korea needs to change the status quo or it will be obsolete.
In this regard, some commentators have said that South Korea's shift to cooperation with the Netherlands to specialize in the field of semiconductor equipment may be due to two considerations. On the one hand, South Korea hopes to become the leading semiconductor equipment manufacturer in Japan and the United States to achieve the goal of being anti-customer-oriented. On the other hand, South Korea wants to solve the problem of over-reliance on the sales of manufactured chips in the past, and expand its market share and avoid being influenced by other countries through R&D and manufacturing of semiconductor equipment.
The plight faced by South Korea's semiconductor industry has attracted the attention of Yoon Suk-yeol**. In the face of the U.S. crackdown and China's reduction in semiconductor imports, South Korea chose to cooperate with the Dutch company ASML to focus on the development of semiconductor equipment. Behind this decision, South Korea wants to transform from a seller of manufactured chips to a leading supplier of semiconductor equipment, and to enhance its competitiveness through its own R&D and manufacturing capabilities.
However, the challenges faced by South Korea cannot be ignored, including shortcomings in yield and customer popularity. South Korea needs to strengthen technology research and development and improve production efficiency in order to remain invincible in the global semiconductor market.
In my opinion, South Korea's decision-making is wise and pragmatic. In the face of the current situation, continuing to rely on the traditional chip sales model can no longer meet the future demand. Through the cooperation with the Dutch company ASML, South Korea is expected to achieve a breakthrough in the field of semiconductor equipment. Yoon's efforts are aimed at keeping South Korea competitive in the global semiconductor industry and laying the groundwork for future technological innovations.
In short, the development path of the Korean semiconductor industry still needs time to verify. Despite the difficult situation, through cooperation with the Netherlands, South Korea is expected to find new growth opportunities in the field of semiconductor equipment. I believe that South Korea's strength in technology and innovation will be a key factor in its revitalization of the semiconductor industry.