Advanced IC project starts operations in Wuxi

SK Hynix System IC, a subsidiary of SK Hynix that specializes in the foundry business, started operating its M8 project in Wuxi National Hi-tech District on Dec 12.

The $1.6-billion project was moved from the company's plant in Cheongju, South Korea, including its semiconductor production equipment, related patented technologies, research and development team, and customers' orders.

The M8 project will work on foundry manufacturing and sales of CIS (camera circuit), DDI (drive circuit), PMIC (power management integrated circuit) and NAND memory, and develop new foundry products such as logic and mixed-signal chips.

After being put into production, the Wuxi plant will produce 115,000 8-inch wafers per month on the basis of SK Hynix System IC's advanced technologies, officials said.

According to officials, SK Hynix is seeking to expand its business portfolio from memory semiconductors to foundry operations. The relocation of the production equipment is seen as a strategic move to further expand its presence in the Chinese foundry market.

SK Hynix System IC is a foundry company established by SK Hynix in 2017 to secure new growth engines away from memory semiconductors. The company established a joint venture with WIDG, an investment company of the Wuxi government in China, in 2018 and completed the construction of a foundry plant in the first quarter of 2020. Currently, the plant is in trial operation and will begin commercial operations at the end of 2020.