Air Products to Expand Semiconductor Industrial Gas Facilities in Pyeongtaek, South Korea

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 4, Air Products submitted an investment plan to the South Korean government to expand its semiconductor industrial gas and rare gas facilities in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, to support gas supply for Samsung Electronics' next-generation semiconductor manufacturing base in Pyeongtaek. Air Products will build ultra-high-purity gas production units and add new semiconductor rare gas separation and purification facilities. The combined investment plans submitted by Air Products, Axcelis Technologies, Corning, and Pacifico Energy on the same day total approximately $2 billion, with the South Korean government not separately disclosing the investment amount for the Air Products project.

The project involves production and supply facilities for nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and hydrogen, with the gases to be delivered to Samsung Electronics' semiconductor production facilities via dedicated pipelines at the Pyeongtaek site. Air Products will also build a bulk gas supply network. The rare gas facilities involve the separation and purification of neon, krypton, and xenon.

Samsung Electronics selected Air Products as the industrial gas supplier for its next-generation semiconductor fab in Pyeongtaek on April 29. Air Products will build, own, and operate multiple gas production units and bulk gas distribution facilities on site, with the facilities scheduled to be commissioned in phases from 2028 to 2030. The first gas supply lines are planned to begin delivering industrial gases to Samsung Electronics' new wafer fab in 2028.

Air Products has already been advancing engineering and permitting work for on-site gas separation facilities in Pyeongtaek. The investment plan submitted on September 4 includes the expansion of semiconductor gas facilities in Pyeongtaek and the construction of rare gas separation and purification facilities. The investment list announced by the South Korean government on the same day also includes Axcelis Technologies' expansion of ion implantation equipment production in South Korea, Corning's expanded investment in advanced glass and semiconductor materials, and Pacifico Energy's advancement of a 3.2GW offshore wind project in southwestern South Korea.

Air Products has not disclosed the production capacity of each gas generation unit, rare gas purification capacity, pipeline length at the site, or the project's individual investment amount. The existing construction timeline calls for phased commissioning from 2028 to 2030.