SKC is aiming to supply semiconductor package boards to tech giants such as Intel, Nvidia and AMD, TheElec has learned.
Its chip package glass subsidiary Absolics will aim to supply the boards, sources said, which will begin production in 2023.
In October, SKC had said it plans to commercialize semiconductor package glass boards aimed at high performance computing applications.
The use of glass can avoid warpage common in conventional chip boards. They can also allow the package to be thinner while consuming less electricity, which can be an advantage in server applications, the South Korean company had said at the time.
This is because the board lacks the silicon interposer in plastic boards, the company said.
Multi-layer ceramic capacitors that were previously installed on the surface of the board can also be placed inside the glass package, allowing customers to pack more CPU and GPU on the surface, SKC had said.
However, it is more difficult to handle the material and they can become more expensive.
This is likely why Absolics is aiming to offer high-end products, the sources said.
However, it remains to be seen whether Absolics will succeed in supplying to the US chip giants.
The company had yet to supply its boards to any major chip companies, including affiliate SK Hynix and compatriot Samsung Electronics.
Absolics is planning to start operations of its factory to be located in Georgia in the US.
It is planning to spend US$80 billion on the facility. The investment is much smaller than other South Korean companies such as Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Daeduck Electronics and Korea Circuit, which are planning to spend 1.1 trillion won, 400 billion won and 200 billion won, respectively, to expand their flip-chip ball grid array (FC-BGA) businesses.
Absolics is aiming to form a facility that can manufacture 12,000 meter-square of glass boards next year __ it is aiming to increase the production capacity to 72,000 meter-square by 2025.
Meanwhile, at Covington, Georgia, where Absolics will build its new factory, group affiliates SK Innovation has a battery plant, while parent company SKC has a PET film factory.
Absolics is led by CEO Oh Jun-rok, who was previously the CEO of SKC Solmics. Oh previously worked at Samsung Electro-Mechanics.
