The South Korean government announced a groundbreaking 20-year plan on January 15 to establish a semiconductor super cluster in the southern Gyeonggi Province of Seoul, investing a staggering 622 trillion Won (US$4.72 trillion), as reported by the Economic Daily News on January 16. The plan involves a strategic partnership with tech giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, aiming to jointly create a "semiconductor mega wafer fabrication facility." Samsung and SK Hynix are set to contribute 500 trillion (US$3.8 trillion) and 122 trillion Won (US$926 billion), respectively, to this transformative initiative.
Currently, the cluster boasts 21 wafer fabs, and projections indicate an expansion to accommodate an additional 16 factories by 2047, including three research facilities, according to the same source. Spanning an impressive total area of 21 million square meters, the cluster is anticipated to produce a remarkable 7.7 million wafers monthly by 2030. This ambitious undertaking aims to elevate South Korea's global share in the non-memory chip market from the current 3% to an impressive 10% by 2030.
Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC), a division of the Institute for Information Industry (III), reported that the shipment value of the Taiwan semiconductor industry is projected to reach NT$4.29 trillion (US$134.5 billion) this year, representing a notable 13.7% year-on-year growth. MIC's analysis suggests robust growth across various sectors within the semiconductor industry, ranging from 10% to 20% in 2024. Particularly, the wafer foundry industry sector is expected to emerge as a primary driver, especially in advanced manufacturing segments, signifying a promising future for the Taiwanese semiconductor industry.