OCI and Lotte Chemical expand semiconductor material production

South Korean companies OCI and Lotte Chemical are strengthening their semiconductor material businesses to capitalize on surging demand driven by AI infrastructure investment.

OCI reported a 36.8% year-on-year increase in semiconductor material revenue for the third quarter, reaching 93 billion won. To bolster this growth, OCI has established a dedicated Semiconductor Material Business Division and is increasing production capacity for hydrogen peroxide and polysilicon. The company also implemented a leadership reorganization, promoting 10 executives to enhance decision-making speed.

Lotte Chemical is expanding its capacity for TMAC, a raw material for semiconductor developers, with a 13 billion won investment to increase annual production from 55,000 to 64,000 tons. Additionally, its affiliate Handok Chemical is investing 130 billion won to build a plant for TMAH, used in semiconductor and display manufacturing.

Other major players like LG Chem are also pivoting toward specialty materials, investing over 10 trillion won in R&D for semiconductor-related products such as thermal management materials and glass substrates to mitigate risks from global supply gluts.