en.Wedoany.com Reported - Samsung Electro-Mechanics has signed a formal contract with Dongwoo Fine-Chem, a subsidiary of Japan's Sumitomo Chemical Group, to jointly establish a company for producing glass core materials, officially entering the next-generation semiconductor substrate core material—Glass Core business.

The two parties will jointly invest 480 billion KRW. The new company is tentatively named "GlaSSEM," with Samsung Electro-Mechanics holding a 66% stake and Dongwoo Fine-Chem holding 34%. The headquarters and production base will be located at Dongwoo Fine-Chem's plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

Glass core is a core material for glass substrates used in next-generation semiconductor packaging. Compared to traditional organic substrates, glass substrates offer lower thermal expansion coefficients and superior flatness, making them suitable for semiconductor packaging in artificial intelligence (AI) servers and high-performance computing (HPC). It is regarded as a next-generation key technology.

The joint venture plans to begin formal operations in the second half of next year after completing production equipment setup and quality verification. Samsung Electro-Mechanics aims to combine its substrate design and manufacturing technologies with Sumitomo Chemical's material expertise to enhance competitiveness in the glass substrate business, meeting the demands of global major tech companies.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics President Jang Deok-hyun stated that this is a strategic choice to secure a competitive edge in glass core in advance, and the company will lead the paradigm shift in the next-generation semiconductor substrate market.