en.Wedoany.com Reported - Air Liquide S.A. will invest over $170 million to build and operate two new production units in Indiana, supplying ultra-high purity gases to the first semiconductor plant in the United States of South Korean memory chip manufacturer SK hynix. This move aims to meet the rapidly growing demand for critical industrial gases used in next-generation chips for artificial intelligence (AI).
As manufacturing demand for advanced memory chips such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM) rises, the requirements for high-purity gases become increasingly stringent. Air Liquide plans to supply nitrogen, oxygen, argon, hydrogen, and other industrial gases in bulk to SK hynix's new advanced chip packaging facility. The two new units are scheduled to be operational by the end of 2028.
By building production facilities on the customer's site, the group ensures a continuous and stable supply of gases, meeting the high-precision standards required for advanced packaging processes. These processes are key enabling technologies for HBM, involving the vertical stacking of multiple memory chips in a limited space to enhance computing performance and energy efficiency. Ultra-high purity gases are essential for maintaining the clean environment necessary for chip manufacturing.
This investment further solidifies Air Liquide's position as a core supplier in the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and deepens its global collaboration with SK hynix, following a significant investment agreement previously reached in South Korea. The group stated that the new infrastructure will help it meet the customer's rapid expansion needs while achieving localized operations.
Choonhwan Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Infrastructure at SK hynix, expressed pleasure in collaborating with key industry partners to build a semiconductor ecosystem in Indiana, supporting the launch of the company's first HBM advanced packaging plant in the U.S. Matthieu Giard, a member of Air Liquide's Executive Committee responsible for the Americas, noted that this investment demonstrates the group's ability to support the growth of long-term strategic customers and accelerate AI technology development, and expressed pride in assisting SK hynix's first major expansion in the United States.
