[Westrapiet, Indiana (U.S.) = E-Daily Seong Joowon Correspondent] SK hynix is investing more than $4 billion (approximately 5.515 trillion won) to establish an annual production capacity of hundreds of thousands of wafers of High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) in the United States. The plan involves producing HBM wafers in Korea and then performing advanced packaging and testing in the U.S. before supplying them to local customers. As the first HBM production hub in the U.S., mass production of “Made in USA HBM” is set to begin in the second half of 2029.

Kwak No-jeong, President and CEO of SK hynix, announced on the 27th (local time) at the official groundbreaking ceremony for the advanced packaging production facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, that the company plans to establish an annual production capacity of several hundred thousand wafers. President Kwak emphasized, “The U.S. and SK hynix are embarking on a new future of AI together,” adding, “We will become the most trusted partner in the U.S., where we are joined by the best customers, research capabilities, and ecosystem.”
More than $4 billion will be invested in this project. Construction began on April 15, and the current overall progress rate stands at 7% (15% based on construction progress). Foundation and structural work is underway, and installation of major equipment is scheduled to begin this October. After the cleanroom is completed in October 2028, mass production of next-generation HBM is expected to begin in the second half of 2029.
The Indiana fab is not a facility that performs the entire HBM manufacturing process in the U.S. Instead, state-of-the-art HBM wafers produced in South Korea are transported to the U.S., where they undergo advanced packaging and testing before being supplied to local customers. This represents a Korea-U.S. collaborative production system that connects South Korea’s HBM production capabilities with the U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) industry ecosystem.
President Kwak emphasized that in the AI era, it is essential to enhance the performance of the entire system by combining customized memory solutions optimized for customer systems with advanced packaging technology. SK hynix(000660)plans to further strengthen its connection with the U.S. AI ecosystem through this local investment, following its listing of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) on the Nasdaq last month.
The facility will feature not only production but also research and development (R&D) capabilities. Approximately 1,000 production, engineering, and R&D personnel are expected to work at the fab. An advanced packaging R&D testbed will also be established to develop and validate new memory solutions tailored to future AI demands.
The company will also strengthen its industry-academia collaboration with nearby Purdue University. SK hynix has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Purdue University to strengthen R&D collaboration and will conduct joint research on next-generation system integration and packaging technologies. The company is also currently discussing the establishment of a local supply chain—including materials, components, and equipment—with more than 100 partner companies. The company estimates that approximately 7,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created, including those related to the fab’s construction, operation, and associated industries.
SK hynix plans to position the Indiana fab as a key hub for the first-ever supply of “Made in USA HBM,” thereby contributing to the stability of the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and the strengthening of national security and the economy. President Kwak stated, “Innovation in the AI era is impossible through the efforts of a single company alone,” and announced plans to build a U.S. AI memory ecosystem that brings together customers, academia, partners, and the local community.