Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, Samsung Display and LG Display will compete again this year with super-gap technology. As the market demand volatility is large due to concerns about the re-proliferation of Corona 19, the company is planning to secure stable profits by raising the margin ratio.
According to the’Import and Export Trends for January 2021′ announced by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 1st, Korea’s exports in January of this year increased by 11.4% from the same month last year to $48 billion, thanks to strong exports centered on semiconductors and displays. Recorded.
This is due to an increase in demand for memory semiconductors as global IT companies resume investment in data center facilities, and an increase in OLED display supply due to a recovery in demand in the smartphone market.
In the market, such strong exports centered on semiconductors and displays are expected to continue throughout the first half of this year. This is because, despite concerns over the re-proliferation of Corona 19 in major developed countries, demand for key components such as semiconductors and displays is not expected to decrease.
Kim Yu-mi, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, said, “By the second quarter of this year, as the base effect from last year’s corona shock can act favorably, the upward trend of the year-on-year growth is expected to be stronger. It is expected that it will support them,” he said.
■ Semiconductor, DRAM is ‘1a’ and NAND is ‘176 layer’
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix plan to put’fine process’ and’high-level technology’ in the lead as a super-gap strategy in the semiconductor business this year.
First of all, in the case of microprocessing, both companies use extreme ultraviolet (EUV) exposure equipment to expand production by 40% compared to the previous 3rd generation 10nm class (1z) process, with a 4th generation 10nm class (1a) process. It is a policy to mass-produce DRAM.
Samsung Electronics plans to mass-produce 1a DRAM at the Pyeongtaek Line 2 (P2), which was expanded in the second half of last year, and SK Hynix, at the M16 plant in Icheon, which will start operation from the second half of this year.
In particular, Samsung Electronics is planning to further promote the competitiveness of microprocessing technology in the foundry (consignment production of semiconductors). While mass-producing application processors for smartphones such as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100 of Qualcomm through a 5 nanometer process, it is planning to expand capacity to expand the number of orders.
In the case of high-stacking technology, both companies plan to increase the proportion of production with 176-layer 3D NAND flash, which can increase bit productivity by 35% or more compared to the existing 160-layer 3D NAND flash. However, as supply is expected to exceed demand during the first half of the NAND market, the two companies will focus on improving the efficiency of plant operation to secure cost competitiveness.
■ Display, phone is’foldable’ TV is’OLED’
Samsung Display and LG Display plan to put’foldable’ and’OLED TV’ in the lead, respectively, as a super-gap strategy in the display business this year.
First of all, in the case of foldables, Samsung Display plans to expand the market base by expanding its foldable customers to Chinese smartphone makers such as Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi in addition to Samsung Electronics. Furthermore, it plans to strengthen its dominance in the flexible OLED market through additional form factor innovations such as rollables and sliders in addition to foldables.
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LG Display strengthens its competitiveness in the large OLED market used in TVs. It plans to expand the production of OLED panels for TVs by increasing the utilization rate of the OLED plant in Guangzhou, China, and at the same time mass-producing displays of unprecedented sizes, such as 48·77 inches, to expand the base of OLEDs in the TV market.
In particular, considering that non-face-to-face economic activity has increased due to the massive spread of Corona 19, it is planning to expand the 20-30-inch mid-size product line to create new markets such as gaming and personal displays as well as TV.