Samsung Electronics is noticeably accelerating the pace of staffing ahead of the start of operations at its Taylor foundry plant in Texas. Unlike last year, when some dispatched personnel were withdrawn due to a sharp rise in exchange rates and delays in procuring materials, this year has seen the redeployment of key talent in the semiconductor (DS) institutional sector, process, equipment, Production yield, and quality. Analysts say the company's target timeline of starting operations within the year and ramping up mass production next year is moving quickly.
◇ More than 100 expatriates…local hiring also expanding
According to the industry on the 10th, Samsung Electronics, after sending a large number of expatriates in June, has continued to deploy key personnel on the ground. More than 100 expatriates are currently assigned to the Taylor plant, and adding dispatched workers and partner employees brings the number of people moving locally to an estimated several hundred.
Samsung Electronics began full-scale tool installation at the Taylor plant in July and is understood to be preparing for trial production in September. It is seen as evidence that on-site preparations are gaining real momentum as the start of operations nears.
Recently launched recruiting for internships and the SEED entry-level program is a continuation of this workforce expansion. Samsung Electronics for the first time included the Taylor fab among the business sites targeted for next summer's internship intake, and it is also running the college graduate hiring program Samsung Emerging Engineer Development (SEED) for engineering majors. The prevailing view in the industry is that this strongly serves as a preemptive move for stable operations after the plant starts within the year.
◇ "Setup this year, full-scale mass production next year"…domestic utilization also supports the plan
Samsung Electronics' basic policy is to complete setup and mass-production verification as much as possible this year and enter full-scale mass production starting next year. Since early this year, the company has consistently said on earnings conference calls that "Taylor Plant 1 aims to start operations at the right time within the year." It then plans to gradually expand 2-nanometer capacity (CAPA) to begin full-scale mass production in 2027.
Orders from customers are also proceeding smoothly. Tesla's next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) chip, the AI5, will split volume with Taiwan foundry TSMC and enter mass production starting next year, while the follow-up AI6 is targeting design completion within the year and is expected to be produced solely by the Samsung Electronics foundry. The previously signed 22.7 trillion won Tesla supply contract covers these two projects.
In particular, as the utilization rate of domestic production lines approaches 100% within the year, the need to run the Taylor plant is growing. In last month's second-quarter earnings release, Samsung Electronics said utilization of advanced nodes at 8-nanometer and below had effectively reached 100%, and it set a goal of doubling 2-nanometer order volume by holding additional talks with Broadcom. The company also announced plans to continue U.S. foundry investment within the year, suggesting that normalization of domestic utilization is proceeding in the same direction as preparations to run the Taylor fab. Industry watchers say a recovery in orders played a significant role in the latest earnings improvement, in which the semiconductor (DS) institutional sector operating margin reached 70%.
A semiconductor industry official said, "The overlap of redeploying key personnel, large-scale expatriate movements, and normalization of domestic line utilization can be interpreted as a sign that the timeline for starting operations within the year is substantively imminent," but added, "Given the nature of a new fab, initial Production yield stabilization typically takes several months, so a clear picture of meaningful mass-production volume growth and reflection in earnings will likely emerge after the first half of next year."