Korean companies are not afraid of the US ban and place large orders for Chinese factories!
China's factories are in crisis? A South Korean company, ignoring the blockade of the United States, placed an order for eight extreme ultraviolet lithography machines!
According to the United States' integrated circuit regulations, South Korean companies are undoubtedly the biggest victims, they occupy more than 50% of the market in Chinese mainland, but now they are in danger of being cut off, and South Korean companies are thus freed from the threat of the United States"Hard-hitting"。
Due to the high cost of land, South Korean companies quickly set their sights on China, where both Samsung and SK hynix are highly dependent, with more than 40% of South Korea's chip production plants located in China.
In the chip era, Biden ** also divest South Korean companies from the Chinese mainland market, but South Korea insisted on adopting a "neutral" position, which brought many difficulties while protecting Chinese companies.
Under the latest ban, South Korean companies are not allowed to bring advanced EUV lithography processes to their factories in China, which is a nightmare for SK in desperate need of transformation. SK did not make any concessions, but chose a new path and paid a high fee for it.
Some time ago, SK hynix announced its update plan for its Wuxi factory in 2024, which will use the latest fourth-generation EUV lithography process, so many people will wonder how the technology can be updated if the Chinese factory cannot import the latest process.
In order to successfully pass the test, SK Company was in the past"Hole cards"The production process was completed first, and then the wafers were sent to the local factory in South Korea, where they were processed by EUV lithography and finally sent to the factory in Wuxi for final packaging.
Although it cost a little more money in the middle, it was finally able to break through the blockade of the United States, which was in stark contrast to the previous negative attitude, and I originally thought that the factory in Wuxi was hopeless, but who knew that SK hynix actually started to buy lithography machines again.
According to market sources, SK hynix has already ordered eight extreme ultraviolet lithography machines from ASML. Previously, a company in Wuxi released a new plan, which is likely to introduce more high-end equipment for the renewal of the new plant in Wuxi.
SK hynix's Wuxi plant, which accounts for 40% of the world's production, will have a huge impact on the future high-end chip market if it cannot increase production.
Although the market share of both companies is not high, if the merger is successful and it occupies more than 31% of the market, the situation of Korean companies will be greatly affected, so SK hynix must hold on to China's hopes.
In"Hole cards"After using it, the United States said that despite the extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment, it is still difficult to cut the connection with Chinese mainland, and in terms of memory chips, South Korean companies are still the world's most advanced technology, although the United States cannot completely get out of their control.
This is also the reason why the United States has been slow to act on South Korean companies, and it is clear that the U.S. regulatory policy on the semiconductor industry is outdated, and any toughness will only exhaust the little power that is left in its hands, don't you think? What are your thoughts?