Samsung Electronics begins HBM production plant expansion in Asan, South Korea

On 22 March, Asan city officials and Samsung Electronics' DS division signed an MOU to add a high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) production facility to the company's Onyang plant. The project will comprise five new lines covering roughly 31,000 m², with ground‑breaking planned for October and volume production targeted for May 2029. It is expected to create about 700 permanent jobs, involve around 3,400 construction workers, and generate an estimated 2.6 trillion won in economic activity.

The expansion is a key element of South Korea’s “Three Mega Projects” aimed at strengthening advanced semiconductor capacity. SK Group chairman Chey Tae‑won warned that rising semiconductor prices – “chip inflation” – could spur geopolitical tensions, recalling the 1986 US‑Japan semiconductor pact as a historic example of protective measures. He noted growing US pressure on Korean firms to locate factories abroad, highlighting strategic challenges for the domestic chip industry.