An aerial view of Samsung Electronics’ Pyeongtaek Campus. (Photos: Samsung Electronics)

Samsung Electronics plans to build a new foundry production line-up in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do to satisfy rising global demand for state-of-the-art extreme ultraviolet (EUV) solutions.

The step will enable Samsung Electronics to produce all system semiconductors from existing semiconductor production lines in Giheung, Yongin City, Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi-do, and Pyeongtaek.

The latest move is in keeping with the “Semiconductor Vision 2020,” declared by Samsung Electronics last year. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jay-yong once again stressed the message that Samsung Electronics should not stop investing in the future, even in hard times.

The massive new foundry facility in Pyeongtaek is to be put into operation between July and December. Securities business sources estimated the size of investments into the new Pyeongtaek facility at about 10 trillion won.

Samsung Electronics aims to become the global No. 1 system semiconductor maker by investing 133 trillion won over the next 10 years and hiring 15,000 gifted people. The latest investment plan is a follow-up to the Semiconductor Vision 2030.

Foundry is a business of producing system semiconductor chips on consignment from fables design companies. The global foundry market is seeing explosive growth on the back of the rising future new businesses such as 5G mobile telecom, AI and self-driving cars.

Currently, Samsung Electronics’ foundry lines are the S1 Line in Giheung, V1 Line and S3 &4 Lines in Hwaseong and the S2 Line in Austin, Texas, the United States. With the addition of the upcoming foundry line in Pyeongtaek, Samsung Electronics will have a quadrilateral foundry production center structure.

Samsung Electronics said its decision to expand the Pyeongtaek lines is expected to enable the electronics company to raise production capacity of the EUV-based 5 nanometer (nm) and below to process technology dramatically.

The Hwaseong line will mass produce EUV-based 5 nm products in the second half of the year, and mass production will be expanded to the upcoming Pyeongtaek line, the company said.

The Pyeongtaek foundry line will introduce the EUV equipment, an essential technology to overcome semiconductor super advanced process barriers.

Earlier, Samsung Electronics has become the industry’s first company to mass produce EUV-based 7 nm products. As a result, Samsung Electronics’ EUV-based 7nm mass production capacity will soar to more than a three-fold jump as of the end of the year, compared to a year ago.

Samsung Electronics take about 50 percent share in the global memory chip market, but the company’s influence declines in the system semiconductor sector.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) of Taiwan tops the global system semiconductor market with a 54.1 percent, trailed far away by Samsung Electronics with a 15.9 percent share.

A view of G1 DRAM produced by Samsung Electronics using the EUV-based 5 nanometer (nm) and below process technology.

Samsung Electronics has “unmatched super strategies” to become the world’s No.1 system semiconductor producer by making massive investment and securing gifted manpower.

Samsung Electronics began to hire the biggest-ever number of career employees in 51 categories of the semiconductor field in March amidst a tendency in which major Korean companies are narrowing job openings in the wake of the effects of the spread of the novel coronavirus. Despite the COVID-29 pandemic, Samsung Electronics plans to push for the plan to invest 133 trillion won.

President Chung Eun-soon of the foundry business of Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions Division said Samsung Electronics will cope with rising demand for EUB-based process technology products by expanding the EUV-based 7nm mass production capacity through the Pyeongtaek Line.