This is a groundbreaking move by SK Hynix, marking the first of its kind in the US and their inaugural major manufacturing venture in America. From 2028, they will produce cutting-edge high-bandwidth memory (HBM) stacks, a significant stride in the industry. The collaboration with Purdue University for R&D projects further underscores their approach.

The CEO of SK Hynix, Kwak Noh-Jung, said: "We are excited to become the first in the industry to build a state-of-the-art advanced packaging facility for AI products in the United States, which will help strengthen supply-chain resilience and develop a local semiconductor ecosystem."

SK Hynix claims the facility is going to be one of the most advanced chip packaging facilities ever. It will assemble these HBM known good stacked dies (KGSDs), which are like stacks of memory devices on a base die. However, it's important to note that the actual memory dies, known as DRAM dies, will still need to be made elsewhere, at dedicated DRAM fabs, likely from SK Hynix's fabs in South Korea.

SK Hynix is making a substantial investment of £2.94 billion ($3.87 billion) in this venture, surpassing the investments made by other industry giants like ASE Group, Chipzilla, and TSMC. This significant financial commitment underscores their dedication and confidence in the project's success.

When the fab comes online in 2028, it'll be used to assemble HBM4 and HBM4E stacks. These stacks will have a 2048-bit interface, which is way more complex than the 1024-bit HBM3/HBM3E packaging. This means they'll need more advanced tools, and that's why they'll cost a pretty penny. However, whether the SK Hynix facility can offer such a service is a bit of a mystery.

HBM is mainly used for AI and HPC applications, so it's essential to have its production in the US. But the memory dies will still need to be made elsewhere, at dedicated DRAM fabs.

SK Hynix is forging a strategic partnership with Purdue University and Ivy Tech Community College as part of its comprehensive strategy. This collaboration will create training programs and multidisciplinary degree courses and foster a robust semiconductor ecosystem. It's a testament to their commitment to the project's long-term success.