South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix Inc has said that it will invest an estimated $3.87 billion in an artificial intelligence (AI) facility in the United States.
The company said it plans to build an advanced packaging fabrication and research and development (R&D) facility for AI products in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The project is expected to drive innovation in the nation's AI supply chain, while bringing more than a thousand new jobs to the region.
SK Hynix said its new facility will be home to an advanced semiconductor production line that will mass-produce next-generation High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM), which are the critical components of graphic processing units that train AI systems such as ChatGPT.
The company plans to begin mass production in the second half of 2028, while the new facility will also develop future generations of chips and house an advanced packaging R&D line.
The company also plans to collaborate with Purdue University and Ivy Tech Community College to develop training programmes and interdisciplinary degree curricula that will cultivate a high-tech workforce and build a reliable pipeline of new talent.
Meanwhile, SK Hynix plans to support the work of Purdue Research Foundation and other local non-profits and charities by building partnerships that provide community development, growth opportunities, and leadership training.
Separately, SK Hynix said it will also proceed with Korean domestic investments as planned.
The company has been working to prepare the site for the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster where it will invest 120 trillion won ($89 billion) to build production facilities.
The company plans to break ground on the first fab in March of 2025, with plans for completion in early 2027. It said it will also build a mini fab, a facility with equipment for 300mm wafer processing, to test semiconductor materials, components and equipment.