[Edaily Reporter JAEMIN SONG ] As Micron expands its semiconductor investment in the U.S. to $250 billion (approximately 375 trillion won), pressure on SamsungElectronics and SK hynix to invest in the U.S. is expected to intensify. With the U.S. reorganizing the supply chain for memory semiconductors—a key component of the artificial intelligence (AI) era—to center on its own territory, there is even speculation that U.S. authorities may require Korean companies to establish local production bases for memory semiconductor front-end processes.

According to industry sources on the 10th, Micron announced it will invest more than $250 billion in U.S. semiconductor factories and technology by 2035. This represents an increase of $50 billion from the $200 billion announced last year.

The investment targets include a new fab in New York State and the expansion of production facilities in Idaho and Virginia. The company will also allocate up to $3 billion separately to build a semiconductor supply chain within the United States. Micron reaffirmed its long-term goal of producing 40% of its total DRAM output in the U.S. The schedule for the first concrete pour at the New York plant was moved up by more than one quarter compared to the original plan.

This investment is seen as a move in step with the U.S. government’s semiconductor reshoring policy, coming at a time when the strategic value of memory production facilities has grown significantly due to surging demand for High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) used in AI accelerators. Given that SamsungElectronics, SK hynix, and Micron effectively dominate the global DRAM market, the U.S. government has a strong interest in internalizing the memory supply chain, centered on Micron, a U.S. company.

Although SamsungElectronics and SK hynix are also establishing semiconductor production bases in the U.S., they do not yet have any memory front-end fabrication plants there. The plant SamsungElectronics is building in Taylor, Texas, is a foundry facility that produces system-on-chip (SoC) products designed by its customers. SamsungElectronics plans to invest more than $37 billion in Taylor by 2030 and is considering building a second fab depending on customer orders.

SK hynix is investing $3.87 billion in Indiana to build a state-of-the-art HBM packaging production facility and a research and development center. This is a back-end facility for stacking and connecting memory semiconductors produced in South Korea, which differs from front-end fabs that produce DRAM by etching circuits onto wafers. There is speculation that if the U.S. uses not only subsidies and tax incentives but also tariffs and supply chain policies as investment incentives, it could lead to demands for both companies to expand their operations to include front-end memory production as well.

U.S. Memory Supply Chain Restructuring… Samsung and SK Face Complex Calculations

The timing of Micron’s investment announcement is also drawing attention. The announcement came one day before SK hynix began trading its American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) on the Nasdaq. SK hynix raised approximately $26.5 billion through a U.S. public offering and plans to invest the proceeds in the construction of a new semiconductor plant in South Korea and the purchase of advanced manufacturing equipment. Industry observers believe that Micron’s move was intended not only to highlight its commitment to local investment to the U.S. capital markets and government but also to counter its competitor, SK hynix.

SamsungElectronics and SK hynix have recently allocated massive funds to the Yongin semiconductor cluster and new domestic production facilities, including a plan to invest approximately 800 trillion won in the Honam region. If demands for front-end process investments in the U.S. are added to this, the burden of deciding how to allocate limited funds between South Korea and the U.S.—while bearing high construction and labor costs—could increase significantly.

A semiconductor industry official stated, “The U.S. may take the announcement of investment in the Honam region at face value without making a fine distinction between the South Korean government’s regional investment policy and the actual investment execution structure of the companies,” adding, “There are internal concerns that this could be perceived as a message suggesting that if the companies have the capacity to invest hundreds of trillions of won domestically, additional investment in the U.S. is also possible.” The official added, “Not only the U.S. government but also local competitors such as Micron are continuously monitoring the domestic and overseas investment plans of SamsungElectronics and SK hynix, so we are also wary of the possibility that the announcement of domestic investment could serve as a catalyst for increased pressure to invest in the U.S.”