Sk hynix to invest $38.3 bil. in Yongin's Y2 fab, Cheongju's M17 fab

SK hynix Inc. said Friday it will invest a combined 54.3 trillion won ($38.3 billion) to build new semiconductor fabrication plants in response to rapidly growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) memory chips. The investment plan, approved at a board meeting, includes 35.2 trillion won for the construction of the Y2 fab in Yongin, just south of Seoul, and 19.1 trillion won for the M17 fab in the central city of Cheongju, the world's second-largest maker of memory chips said in a regulatory filing. The decision marks the execution of SK hynix's mid- to long-term investment strategy and aligns with the government's "tripolar mega project" initiative, unveiled last month by President Lee Jae Myung to strengthen advanced technologies nationwide and position South Korea as a global industrial powerhouse in the AI era. Under its long-term investment plan, SK hynix has pledged to invest 600 trillion won in the Yongin semiconductor cluster and 100 trillion won to expand its production base in Cheongju. "In the AI era, technological competitiveness alone is not enough and the ability to su