SEOUL, October 30 (AJP) - SK hynix has brought together executives from more than 20 Japanese semiconductor suppliers for its first Partners Day in Japan, strengthening supply chain cooperation following earlier speculation about the South Korean chipmaker's potential manufacturing investments in the country.
The event, held Thursday in Chiba Prefecture, brought together major Japanese materials, equipment and testing companies, including Shin-Etsu, SUMCO, JSR, Tokyo Electron, Disco and Advantest, SK hynix said Friday.
The chipmaker shared its medium- to long-term business strategy and technology development roadmap with its Japanese partners, aiming to help suppliers anticipate future demand and prepare investments and production capacity as the artificial intelligence memory market expands.
The gathering comes roughly two months after reports raised the possibility of SK hynix building a semiconductor manufacturing facility in Japan, drawing attention to the company's investment strategy in the country.
SK Group subsequently disputed reports suggesting Chairman Chey Tae-won was considering a joint semiconductor factory in Japan, clarifying that his remarks concerned broader investment possibilities rather than a specific plant project.
SK hynix has separately said it is examining various options to strengthen its memory business, including additional production bases, but that no decision has been finalized.
Thursday's gathering, however, focused on cooperation with existing suppliers rather than announcing any new manufacturing investment.
SK hynix has held similar events for major domestic suppliers annually, but this marked the first time it organized Partners Day in Japan.
The event was attended by Chief Production Officer Lee Byung-ki, Vice President Kang Yoo-jong, who oversees procurement, and Vice President Choi Woo-jin, who heads packaging and testing operations.
Lee Hyun-cheol, vice president in charge of procurement strategy, presented the company's business outlook and medium- to long-term direction, while Lee Sung-hoon, vice president responsible for research and development processes, outlined key technologies under development and the company's future technology roadmap.
The presentations were intended to give Japanese partners greater visibility into SK hynix's plans, allowing them to prepare equipment investments and manufacturing capabilities in advance.
Lee Byung-ki emphasized the complementary relationship between South Korea and Japan in the semiconductor industry.
"South Korea and Japan have complementary strengths," Lee said, adding that Japanese suppliers play a crucial role in strengthening SK hynix's technological competitiveness.
He said the company would expand cooperation to support the growth of both countries' semiconductor ecosystems.
Kang Yoo-jong also stressed the importance of closer coordination with Japanese materials, components and equipment suppliers as AI memory technology becomes increasingly complex.
"Close cooperation with materials, components and equipment partners is central to semiconductor competitiveness in the AI era," Kang said.
Tokyo Electron Chief Operating Officer Hiroshi Ishida welcomed the opportunity to exchange longer-term technology plans with SK hynix, saying early discussions would help guide the Japanese equipment maker's development and investment decisions.
The initiative comes as SK hynix accelerates production of advanced high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips to meet growing demand from AI infrastructure operators.
The company reported record third-quarter operating profit of 83.33 trillion won earlier this week, supported by strong AI memory demand and tight supply conditions.
SK hynix is expanding next-generation HBM production and has secured long-term supply agreements covering a substantial portion of its planned output for 2027 and 2028.
As advanced memory manufacturing requires increasingly sophisticated materials, equipment and testing technologies, closer coordination with Japanese suppliers could help the company address production challenges and strengthen supply chain stability.
The latest gathering underscores SK hynix's efforts to deepen industrial cooperation with Japan, even as questions about potential manufacturing investments in the country remain unresolved.
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