SK hynix will use 1.4 trillion won in mutual growth funds over five years to strengthen the competitiveness of the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor ecosystem. The approach is to help materials, parts, and equipment partners secure competitiveness across the entire business process, from technology development to verification, mass production, and sales.
SK hynix announced the plan at the signing ceremony for the "SK–tier-1, -2, and -3 partner mutual growth agreement" held at SKT Tower in Jung District, Seoul, on the 2nd. SK affiliates and partners, including SK hynix, took part in the agreement. SK hynix will expand its mutual growth model with a focus on supporting semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment partners.
The core of the support is a "mutual growth model tailored to partner growth cycles." SK hynix divides partners' business stages into technology development, testing and verification, mass production, and sales, and provides funding, infrastructure, consulting, and payment settlement support for each step.
At the technology development stage, it will introduce a new "R&D challenge reward system." The system proactively covers up to 50% of initial development costs for partners hesitant to pursue research and development due to financial burdens. Even if the research fails, it set up a structure to settle payments by recognizing technological contributions.
Existing technology support programs will continue. SK hynix supports partners' technological self-reliance through "technology innovation corporation selection" to discover promising partners, the "IPR Sharing Support Center" to share large-corporation patents, and the provision of micro-pattern wafers, a key research sample.
At the testing and verification stage, it will build "Trinity Fab," a process demonstration environment within phase 1 of the Yongin semiconductor cluster. The size is 1,000 pyeong. SK hynix plans to open the facility to partners starting in 2027.
Trinity Fab is a testbed that allows partners to verify parts and equipment they developed under conditions similar to actual mass-production lines. Partners can confirm product reliability without building their own demonstration lines, reducing testing expense and time.
SK hynix also operates an analysis and measurement support center. The facility helps partners conduct precise analysis and verify performance. It will continue to support performance evaluation projects that certify Production yield by running partner equipment and materials in actual production lines.
At the mass production stage, it will support liquidity and the securing of manufacturing competitiveness. Through a co-prosperity fund, SK hynix provides low-interest financing to partners that need facility investment and operating costs. The partner consulting program will be expanded to tier-2 and tier-3 partners.
Consulting targets include building security systems, transitioning to smart factories, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management, and safety, health, and environment (SHE) management. SK hynix plans to share management know-how with partners that struggle to respond to advanced semiconductor processes and tighter regulations.
At the sales stage, it will strengthen the payment settlement system. SK hynix will expand delivery payment support funds to ease the financial burden on tier-2 and tier-3 partners. The aim is to support excellent partners that improve payment terms so funds flow smoothly down to lower tiers of the supply chain.
It will also continue improving payment terms. SK hynix settles payments four times a month and runs a partner support system to enable payment within 10 days. It will maintain the mutual growth payment system to reduce cascading cash crunches caused by delayed receivables among partners.
SK hynix is also reviewing additional mutual growth measures. The company plans to design programs that will be of practical help to the semiconductor ecosystem by reflecting on-site partner feedback and market conditions.
SK hynix believes that the technological strength and supply stability of the downstream ecosystem are crucial to maintaining competitiveness in the AI Semiconductor market. The plan is to support partners' research and development, demonstration, mass production, and sales processes to strengthen the fundamentals of Korea's semiconductor supply chain.