Korean suppliers of chip and battery components are opening or building US operations as demand from AI data centres grows and supply chains shift away from China. The moves include a new US subsidiary for Hanmi Semiconductor and several facilities tied to energy storage, the less glamorous infrastructure that helps keep data centres powered.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
Hanmi Semiconductor opened a subsidiary in San Jose on 16 October. The company makes thermal compression bonders, equipment used to attach chips and essential to producing high-bandwidth memory (HBM). It says it wants the new base to broaden its customer list beyond South Korea: SK hynix has accounted for 95% of its sales.
The Korea JoongAng Daily reports that other suppliers are also building US capacity. Seojin System began operating an Indiana plant for energy-storage-system components in July, while Hanjung NCS is building another there. Shinsung ST has built a Kentucky plant. The companies supply Samsung SDI America or LG Energy Solution.
Why it matters
AI data centres need a stable electricity supply, creating demand for energy storage as well as the chips that power AI systems. These moves show how that demand can reach into the equipment and components supply chain, not just chip designers and data-centre operators.
They also show the practical shape of supply-chain diversification: local facilities, technical support and efforts to win US customers. The article reports several companies’ plans and operations, not proof that every announced facility or customer relationship will deliver as intended.
Our read
The useful story is not simply that Korean companies are following the AI boom overseas. It is that demand is pulling two different parts of the supply chain along with it: HBM manufacturing equipment and the components used to store energy. Hanmi’s 95% reliance on one customer gives its push to diversify a particularly clear commercial rationale. AI infrastructure has a supply chain, and it is increasingly being built where the servers are.
What to watch
- Whether Hanmi wins customers beyond SK hynix as its US subsidiary ramps up.
- When Hanjung NCS’s Indiana facility begins operating.
- Whether suppliers announce new US customers or local partnerships.
Discussion spark: Should suppliers follow AI demand by building capacity near US data centres, even when that means costly investment abroad, or prioritise domestic customers and production?
Sources and evidence
- Source update (26 October 2026, 07:24 UTC)
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