SEOUL, South Korea — HANMI Semiconductor today announced that it will formally enter the U.S. market by establishing its local subsidiary, HANMI USA, by the end of 2026. Furthermore, driven by the continuous surge in global AI semiconductor demand, the company expects a significant earnings increase starting in the second quarter of this year and a “strong growth” in annual revenue from 2026 onward.
“As the mass production of HBM4 gains momentum this year, we are seeing a concentration of TC Bonder orders in the second quarter, a trend expected to accelerate in the latter half of the year,” said Kwak Dong-shin, Chairman of HANMI Semiconductor. “HANMI Semiconductor’s TC Bonders, which hold the leading global market share, will see even greater benefits as the AI semiconductor market expands.”
In late 2026, the company will establish HANMI USA in San Jose, California, to respond to U.S. market demands. The San Jose office will serve as an integrated operational hub providing rapid technical support. This move aims to proactively deploy skilled engineers and offer in-person technical assistance in alignment with the operation schedules of new fabs being built by global semiconductor firms in the U.S.
The establishment of HANMI USA is deeply symbolic, realizing the founding spirit of the company — serving as a “bridge between Korea and the U.S.” — after half a century. HANMI Semiconductor’s roots trace back to the late founder Kwak No Kwon, who established the company in the then-barren Korean semiconductor equipment industry using expertise gained during his 14-year tenure at Motorola in the U.S. (starting in 1967).
Supported by the CHIPS and Science Act, the U.S. government is accelerating the construction of large-scale AI semiconductor production facilities on home soil:
- Intel: Commenced operations of its advanced foundry and packaging facility in Chandler, Arizona, in Q4 2025.
- Micron: Building a core manufacturing base for cutting-edge DRAM and HBM in Boise, Idaho (target: 2027), and the “Mega-fab” — the largest memory production facility in the U.S. — in Syracuse, New York (target: 2028).
- Amkor Technology: Set to operate the nation’s largest advanced packaging facility in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2027.
- SK hynix: Will begin supplying advanced HBM through its advanced packaging facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, in 2027.
- Elon Musk’s “Terafab”: Scheduled to begin operations in Austin, Texas, in 2028. Led jointly by SpaceX, Tesla and xAI, this $119 billion project — the largest ever for a semiconductor facility — aims to produce 1 terawatt (TW) of AI semiconductors annually for internal use. The Terafab project is expected to create explosive demand for advanced packaging equipment. Approximately 80% of its output will go to SpaceX’s aerospace and data centers, with the remainder powering Tesla’s autonomous vehicles and Optimus robots.
The U.S. expansion also facilitates direct collaboration with Hypberscalers — such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon (AWS) and Meta — which are the end users. As these companies develop proprietary AI chips, they are increasingly involved in reviewing and specifying the core equipment used in manufacturing processes, driving demand for HANMI’s packaging solutions.
HANMI Semiconductor currently holds the top global market share in TC bonders, which are essential for HBM manufacturing. To solidify its leadership, the company plans to release a second-generation Hybrid Bonder prototype within the year.
The company is also diversifying its revenue streams:
- 2.5D Packaging: Supply of “2.5D TC Bonder 40” and “2.5D TC Bonder 120” to foundries and OSAT companies is imminent.
- BOC COB Bonder: The world’s first release has begun shipping to global memory firms.
- Aerospace: The “EMI Shield 2.0 X” series, launched earlier this year, is being supplied to global aerospace firms, maintaining HANMI Semiconductor’s leading market share in this sector since 2016.
“Through our U.S. subsidiary, we plan to provide proactive, close-range support to meet our customers’ needs,” added Chairman Kwak. “As the U.S. emerges as a global semiconductor production hub, we anticipate a steady increase in revenue driven by equipment orders for these new facilities.”
