Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor plant in Taylor, Texas, is emerging as a potential buffer against the U.S. threat to impose a 100 percent tariff on memory chips, as the site offers room for future memory fabs aligned with Washington’s policy push.   This scenario is gaining traction as U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters last week that memory semiconductor makers will have to either “pay a 100 percent tariff” or “build in America.” Although Lutnick did not single out any specific countries or companies, his comments were widely seen as a call for more U.S. investment from Korean memory makers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, which dominate the global memory market.   The two Korean chipmakers have responded to Washington’s frequently changing tariff push on chips by highlighting that they are building semiconductor plants in the U.S.   While Washington has yet to spell out what would qualify as “build in America,” the fact that Lutnick made the remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for Micron Technology’s new memory plant in New York suggests that building memory fabs in the U.S. could become a condition for exemptions from the proposed memory chip tariffs.   Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are both building semiconductor plants in the U.S., but they currently do not include memory chip fabs. Samsung’s Taylor plant is currently designed as a foundry fab for system semiconductors, not memory chips. SK hynix is also building a chip plant in West Lafayette, Indiana, but it is an advanced packaging facility for memory chips rather than for front-end memory fabrication.   Both companies say it is too early to gauge the impacts because no detailed requirements have been finalized. Meanwhile, concerns are growing that the market landscape could shift if Samsung and SK hynix face tariffs while Micron receives exemptions.To minimize the impact of potential tariffs, industry officials said Samsung could leverage the ample space at its Taylor plant site to build additional memory fabs.   The site spans more than 5 square kilometers, with the core fab expected to occupy around 250,000 square meters. According to Samsung’s initial layout proposal to the city of Taylor, the site can accommodate up to 10 fabs, suggesting that it could theoretically redirect some of its planned investments, including memory fab projects in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, to the Taylor site.   “In theory, building memory fabs in Taylor would provide greater predictability on tariffs for Samsung,” an industry official said. “While Washington has yet to spell out detailed guidelines, a 100 percent tariff could put it at a disadvantage compared with Micron.”   However, it remains uncertain whether Samsung would be able to revise its investment plans easily. Washington’s tariff policy on chips remains unclear, and it is difficult to alter a long-term investment plan in response to sudden policy shifts. Officials at Samsung said they have no comment on the issue for now.   “There are also challenges in securing a skilled workforce and balancing national interests, given the strategic importance of the semiconductor industry,” the industry official said. “If Samsung decides to shift its memory fabs to the U.S., concerns could arise over the impact on the domestic semiconductor industry.”   For SK hynix, it is also unclear whether Washington will recognize its chip plant being built in Indiana as qualifying for a tariff exemption. To meet the fast growth in memory chip demand, the company has already broken ground on a large-scale memory chip cluster, also in Yongin.   “As far as I know, SK hynix also has additional space to build memory fabs in its U.S. site, but there are simply too many uncertainties, as has been the case throughout the second Trump administration,” another industry official said.   “Companies will need to run through every possible scenario across their supply chains, depending on how tariffs are set, but one thing is clear: It will be very difficult to make any immediate decisions.”       (ICE SEOUL)

Fonte notizia: The Korea Times