View PDFYongin, Gyeonggi-do, Korea, Oct. 8, 2024 – In a ceremony today, Lam Research Corp. commemorated the opening of the company’s new Yongin Campus, becoming the first global wafer fabrication equipment company to locate in the K-semiconductor mega cluster in southern Gyeonggi Province.
The ceremony was attended by Tim Archer, president and chief executive officer of Lam Research; Joon Park, regional vice president of Lam Research Korea; and over 130 guests from government, industry and academic institutions, including: Member of National Congress Myung-soo Son; Mayor of Yongin Sang-il Lee; Chairman of Gyeonggido Business and Science Accelerator Seong Cheon Kang; Senior Commercial Officer of US Embassy in Korea Andrew Gately; President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea James Kim; President of the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Institute HD Cho; Vice Chairman of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association Jeong-hoi Kim; and Vice President of Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) Jae-bung Choi.
Since establishing its first office in 1989, the company has expanded its operations in Korea to include research and development (R&D), logistics, customer service, and manufacturing facilities in cities such as Osan, Hwaseong, and Pyeongtaek.
The new Yongin Campus will focus on the development of next-generation semiconductor manufacturing equipment and solutions. The campus consists of an advanced Technical Training Center, offices to support a range of business functions and the company’s state-of-the-art Korea Technology Center, which was established in 2022.
“The opening of the Lam Research Yongin Campus builds on our 35 years of Korean semiconductor ecosystem leadership and extends our R&D, training and service capabilities in the region,” stated Tim Archer, president and chief executive officer of Lam Research. “At a time of rising device complexity, our new facilities will support our ability to closely work with customers to deliver the next generation of disruptive semiconductor innovations.”
At the Yongin campus opening ceremony, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed for an industry-academia-government cooperation program to cultivate the semiconductor workforce in Korea. According to the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association (KSIA), the demand for semiconductor workers in Korea is projected to reach over 300,000 by 2031, exceeding the availability of skilled semiconductor talent by at least 54,000 workers.
Lam Research, KSIA, and SKKU intend to commence a one-year pilot project in 2025, aiming to develop and foster future semiconductor talent at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degree levels. As part of the project, Lam intends to provide access to its Semiverse Solutions virtualized fabrication platform and training resources to SKKU's College of Engineering valued at up to KRW 7 billion.
This is the first collaboration with academia for usage of Lam’s Semiverse Solutions in Korea for workforce development. Lam has already teamed up in successful collaborations with industry and academia in the United States and India to accelerate the development of future semiconductor talent.
Lam's Semiverse Solutions are a suite of processing and simulation software and services that support the creation of a virtual environment of fab tools and digital twins, offering the potential to help overcome the technical, physical and space limitations of current semiconductor education infrastructure. Included is the SEMulator3D® semiconductor process modeling platform, which enables students to virtually experience a wide range of semiconductor development capabilities.
Jeong Hoi Kim, vice chairman of KSIA, commented, "Lam Research's Korea Technology Center has been instrumental in addressing various challenges faced by chipmakers over the past three years. We anticipate that the establishment of the Yongin Campus and the introduction of Semiverse Solutions will provide another opportunity for Lam Research to enhance collaboration with various members of the Korean semiconductor ecosystem."
Jae Bung Choi, vice president of SKKU, said, “I expect that this MOU will greatly enhance the educational experience for students studying semiconductor and engineering. Especially, Lam Research’s Semiverse Solutions offers hands-on experience in chip design and manufacturing processes, which will enable us to provide practical training for the workforce.”
Joon Park, regional vice president of Lam Research Korea, stated, "No single government, school, or company can achieve semiconductor workforce development alone. I am excited to introduce a platform for K-semiconductor talent education through Lam’s Semiverse Solutions, which helps us address real-world challenges. With investments like the opening of the Yongin Campus and the MOU for Korea’s workforce development, we are committed to advancing the domestic semiconductor ecosystem and nurturing future talent."
Additional Media Resources:
- Blog: Lam’s Yongin Campus: A Pulse in the Heart of the K-Semiconductor Mega Cluster
- Press Release (Read in Korean): Lam Research Opens Yongin Campus, Strengthening Collaboration Between Samsung, SK hynix and K Semiconductor
About Lam Research
Lam Research Corporation is a global supplier of innovative wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry. Lam’s equipment and services allow customers to build smaller and better performing devices. In fact, today, nearly every advanced chip is built with Lam technology. We combine superior systems engineering, technology leadership, and a strong values-based culture, with an unwavering commitment to our customers. Lam Research (Nasdaq: LRCX) is a FORTUNE 500® company headquartered in Fremont, Calif., with operations around the globe. Learn more at www.lamresearch.com.
Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
Statements made in this press release that are not of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements relate to but are not limited to the effect of U.S. government restrictions on semiconductor technology exports to China, the effect of such measures on Lam's business, and our outlook and guidance for future financial results. Some factors that may affect these forward-looking statements include: trade regulations, export controls, trade disputes, and other geopolitical tensions may inhibit our ability to sell our products; our understanding of newly announced trade restrictions and their impact on our business may change over time; business, political and/or regulatory conditions in the consumer electronics industry, the semiconductor industry and the overall economy may deteriorate or change; the actions of our customers and competitors may be inconsistent with our expectations; supply chain cost increases and other inflationary pressures have impacted and may continue to impact our profitability; supply chain disruptions or manufacturing capacity constraints may limit our ability to manufacture and sell our products; and natural and human-caused disasters, disease outbreaks, war, terrorism, political or governmental unrest or instability, or other events beyond our control may impact our operations and revenue in affected areas; as well as the other risks and uncertainties that are described in the documents filed or furnished by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including specifically the Risk Factors described in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024 and quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 29, 2024. These uncertainties and changes could materially affect the forward-looking statements and cause actual results to vary from expectations in a material way. The Company undertakes no obligation to update the information or statements made in this press release.
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