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According to information from IT House on 5 June, according to sources quoted by the Korean media The Electric on the afternoon of today ' s 5th, SK Hercules has informed the main supplier of the latest expansion plan, with the goal of increasing DRAM ' s production capacity to nearly twice its current level by 2030-2031.

This expansion road map was completed before the 2026 Taipei International Computer Fair. During the show, Young Weida CEO Wong In-hoon wrote "Modern Production" on a SK Hercules DRAM crystal circle, and highlighted from the side that the demand for AI storage products is rising rapidly.

A number of industry sources have revealed that over the past two months, the SK Hercules procurement team and the personnel in charge of the Lungren Semiconductor Cluster have continued to inform key suppliers of plans to expand the capacity of the Crystal Circle projector by 2030.

According to the plan, SK Hercules hopes to increase DRAM's production capacity from about 550,000 to about 1 million by 2030. Existing capacity includes approximately 200,000 tablets of tinless plant production per month, and new capacity is expected to come mainly from the Dragon Ren Semiconductor Cluster.

SK Hercules plans to divide the first round factory into six cleanhouses and to move the equipment to the first clean house from 2027 to February 2012. Following the completion of the first phase of equipment installation, the Dragon Inn Plant will add 60,000 additional monthly capacity; thereafter, the SK Hercules plan to open an additional clean room every six months, with an additional 60,000 monthly capacity at a time. If we move forward according to the current timetable, the first round of the Yong-in plant alone could add 360,000 DRAM monthly capacity in the first half of 2030.

The Chongzhou M15X Crystal Circle plant is also being expanded. M15X plans to start production in the second half of this year, with an initial monthly capacity of 40,000 crystals, which is expected to rise to about 80,000 next year. If the 360,000 new production units are released on schedule, the total capacity of the SK Hercules DRAM crystal round moon projector is expected to reach about 1 million by 2030-2031.

For NAND flash, SK Hercules is considered to be the main focus technology upgrade, including increasing the number of stacks. One of the semiconductor equipment industries stated that “it is understandable that SK Hercules is requiring suppliers to prepare for rapid and large-scale expansion”.

According to the IT House, this project also echoes the recent statement made by Chairman Choi Tae-jin of the SK Group: The overall round capacity has doubled at full speed within five years.

However, suppliers continue to look cautiously to see whether this radical road map is on track. In 2022, SK Hercules provided the supplier with a guide on capital expenditure for the following year, but in the autumn of the same year, the equipment order was significantly reduced. Some vendors have been guided in the procurement of spare parts and have subsequently experienced significant cash flow pressure. Industry sources have also indicated that if delivery of any type of equipment is delayed, the rhythm of filling a cleaning room every six months may be disrupted.

One supplier said: “In the short term, it is clear that the increase in investment is of great benefit to suppliers of equipment and materials. However, the completion of the entire road map will depend on the viability of market demand.”

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