Hyosung Heavy Industries Wins Contract for Australian ESS Project

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Securing an ESS design-construction contract worth approximately KRW 140 billion

Sales in North and Central America last year exceeded KRW 1 trillion for the first time

Hyosung Heavy Industries has secured a battery energy storage system (BESS) contract worth KRW 140 billion in Australia, thereby broadening its business prospects. The company established a presence in the United States and Europe, making over KRW 1 trillion in sales in the North and Central American markets. Following this achievement, it plans to actively seek out new markets, including Australia.

Hyosung Heavy Industries announced that it recently signed a KRW 142.5 billion contract with Tangkam BESS Pty. Ltd. for the design, procurement, and construction of energy storage systems (ESS) in Australia. The project involves building a 100MW/200MWh battery-based ESS in the Tangkam region of Queensland, Australia, with commercial operation targeted at the end of 2027. The company will handle the installation and test-drive, and the maintenance contract will be signed separately.
This marks the first time Hyosung Heavy Industries has supplied an ESS to Australia. The Australian government is implementing a policy to expand ESS aimed at stabilizing the power grid, investing a budget of AUD 20 billion (approximately KRW 20 trillion) to increase its renewable energy generation ratio to 82% by 2030.
Hyosung Heavy Industries believes that this new supply project will be a key solution for the Australian power grid, and plans to show its integrated system-control technology through its own battery management system software.
The company also plans to expand full-scale into global markets. It proved its competitiveness among leading global competitors last year, when its heavy-industry division achieved sales of KRW 1.1123 trillion in the North American market for the first time since its founding. Last month, the company secured a KRW 787 billion contract in the United States for the supply of power equipment, which is the largest in the company’s history, and a KRW 29 billion long-term supply contract for ultra-high voltage transformers in Finland.

 
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SK Hynix to Accelerate HBM Production

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Decided to introduce ASML’s EUV scanners

Actively responding to demand for AI memory

SK Hynix is speeding up its memory semiconductor production capacity by introducing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) equipment worth KRW 12 trillion. The EUV used for the production of advanced DRAM, is expected to be deployed in key lines, including the semiconductor cluster currently under construction in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, and is also expected to accelerate the transition to SK Hynix’s advanced 6th-generation (1c) process.

The company recently disclosed that it had decided to acquire EUV scanners from ASML, a Dutch equipment manufacturer. The total acquisition cost is approximately KRW 11.9496 trillion, equivalent to 9.97% of its total assets as of the end of 2024. The procurement will take place over approximately two years through December next year and includes installation and modification costs.
Although the company did not disclose the exact number of EUV units it is introducing, industry estimates suggest it may acquire more than 20 machines, given that each unit costs between KRW 300 billion and KRW 500 billion. With around 20 EUV systems already in operation, it more than doubles its EUV line.
The EUV to be introduced in large quantities this time will be deployed at Cheongju M15X plant, while a significant portion is also expected to be allocated to the first fab (Y1) at the Yongin cluster, scheduled to begin operations next year. The rapid introduction of EUV is intended to expand production capacity across the entire Yongin cluster, where wafer production is expected to increase to between 380,000 and 400,000 wafers per month in the future.
According to SK Hynix, the investment is aimed at addressing growing demand for AI memory including HBM, and expanding demand for general-purpose DRAM. The company is trying to expand its production capacity to stabilize supply following the increasing demand for general-purpose memory in the front industry including servers and mobile.


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K-Battery

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K-Battery Wins KRW Trillions of Orders

Samsung SDI to supply ESS batteries to the USA

POSCO Future M secures a large contract on anode materials

The domestic battery industry is showing signs of recovery, following major supply contracts clinched by Samsung SDI and POSCO Future M. It is assessed that the continued securing of orders worth over KRW 1 trillion in each of the battery cell and core materials sectors is creating a positive atmosphere throughout the industry.
Samsung SDI announced that its North America subsidiary, Samsung SDI America (SDIA) signed a contract worth about KRW 1.5 trillion to supply batteries for energy storage systems (ESS) to a U.S. energy company. The contract will run from this year until 2029, with supplies delivered in phases.
The batteries supplied under the deal will be produced at the factory of StarPlus Energy, a joint venture between Samsung SDI and Stellantis, located in Indiana, USA. The company plans to supply nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries one after another.

POSCO Future M also announced that it has signed a long-term supply contract worth about KRW 1.01 trillion with a global automaker for synthetic graphite anode materials. The contract period is five years from 2027 to 2032, and can be extended by mutual agreement.
The industry speculates that the counterparty for the contract is electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla. POSCO Future M signed another deal with Tesla in last October to supply natural graphite anode materials worth about KRW 671 billion for four years starting in 2027. Including the latest supply volume, the total value of graphite anode materials the company is expected to supply to Tesla could reach as high as KRW 4 trillion, the largest order since the company has entered the anode materials business in 2011.

 
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LG Display’s OLED Panels

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LG Display’s OLED Panels Prove Technical Prowess in China

First supply for TCL’s monitors
Targeting gaming and premium markets
Realizing 4K high-resolution

Korean display companies are stepping up efforts to target the Chinese organic light-emitting diode (OLED) market as Chinese home appliance companies rapidly transition from liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors to premium OLED monitors.
According to industry sources, TCL recently launched its first OLED monitor, the 32X3A OLED monitor, adopting the latest OLED panel from LG Display.
This product delivers 4K high-resolution, and a refresh rate of 240Hz through an LG Display OLED panel. It also features a dynamic frequency and resolution (DFR) function that allows the monitor to switch to 1080p at up to 480Hz, especially to meet demand from e-Sports gamers. The technology can currently be implemented only through LG Display’s OLED panels. TCL is said to have selected the panel for its first OLED monitor because of this feature. TCL is a strong player in the TV market but a relative newcomer in monitors.

Chinese panel makers, including TCL China Star (CSOT), Everdisplay (EDO) and BOE, have yet to match Korean companies in the latter’s mass-production scale and performance of OLED panels.
OLED panels produced by TCL China Star are reportedly currently used only in smartphones and smartwatches. As Chinese companies have yet to master mass-production of large OLED panels used in TVs and monitors, they have no choice but to still rely on Korean-made panels.

TCL’s decision to advance into the premium monitor market by launching its first LED monitor after focusing only on LCD so far reflects the rapid growth of the related industry in China. According to global market tracker Omdia, China accounted for a quarter (24.1%) of global monitor shipments last year, surpassing North America at 22.3% to become the world’s largest monitor market.

 
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K-Security Recording Prosperity

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Korea Startup Centers supporting overseas expansion of Korean startups

QuaeryPie, a Korean security solutions company that entered the Japanese market with support from the Korea Startup Center (KSC), is being kept busy responding to requests for collaboration from Japanese companies. It recently signed a supply contract with leading Japanese IT and manufacturing companies such as TerraSky, Payroll, and Toyota Motor Corp.
KSC, supervised by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and operated by Korea SMEs and Startups, is serving a role as a significant stepping stone for domestic artificial intelligence (AI) and data startups to expand overseas. It supports the settlement of companies that do not have enough capital and excellent manpower, and are hampered by their lack of understanding of local policies and systems.

According to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, 104 of the 119 KSC-supported companies, or 87.3%, succeeded in entering overseas markets last year. Overseas sales they generated through this amounted to KRW 105.9 billion and investment attraction reached KRW 580.5 billion.
KSC has five offices in Seattle, USA; Hanoi, Vietnam; Tokyo, Japan; Paris, France; and Singapore. KSC Tokyo is located in Toranomon, Minato Ward, Tokyo, which is a densely populated area with Japanese financial institutions, public institutions, and major corporate headquarters.
Shaple&Company, a provider of software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based field work efficiency solutions, also successfully entered the Japanese market with KSC’s assistance. In particular, KSC’s active support has become a big help in expanding its business by forming bridges with large company partners such as Hyosung Japan and Samsung Japan.

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LG Electronics Maintains No. 1 Ranking in U.S. Home Appliance Market for Second Year

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Six home appliances record 22% market share
LG Electronics wins the top spot in refrigerators for the first time

LG Electronics maintained its No. 1 position in the U.S. home appliances market last year following 2024. In particular, the company has expanded its market share by ranking No. 1 for the first time in refrigerators, exceeding washing machines and dryers, which had performed strongly last year.

According to U.S. market research firm TraQline and others, LG Electronics ranked No. 1 for two consecutive years, achieving a 22% market share in six major home appliance categories last year, based on sales.
Most noteworthy this time is refrigerator sales. In addition to washers and dryers, its flagship products so far, LG Electronics achieved a 24.3% market share and took first place even in refrigerators, surpassing competitors like Samsung Electronics, General Electric (GE), and Whirlpool. This marks the first time LG Electronics has ranked first in the U.S. refrigerator market.
LG Electronics is also stepping up efforts to expand its performance in the U.S. home appliances market to business-to-business (B2B) areas such as commercial washers and the construction (builder) market. It has signed a supply contract with CSC Service Works, North America’s No. 1 laundry solution company that operates about 1.5 million commercial washers across the United States and Canada. It is also expanding its customer base by supplying commercial washers to various residential environments such as university dormitories and multi-family housing.

 
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Samsung Electronics Reclaims No. 1 Position in Global DRAM Within a Year

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Market share reaches 37%

Samsung Electronics has regained the No. 1 position in the global DRAM market from SK Hynix in a year. This is because the company has recaptured competitiveness in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market, and related sales have increased due to rising prices of general-purpose DRAMS.

According to market research firm Omdia, the global DRAM market reached USD 52.47 billion (approximately KRW 76 trillion) in the fourth quarter of last year, representing a USD 12 billion (approximately KRW 17 trillion) increase from the previous year. The sharp rise in DRAM prices has significantly expanded the market size itself. Samsung Electronics’ DRAM sales increased by 40.6% from the previous quarter to a total of USD 19.156 billion (approximately KRW 27.7 trillion). Its market share rose 2.9% points to 36.6%, reaching the No. 1 position.
During the same period, SK Hynix’s DRAM sales increased 25.2% to USD 17.226 billion (approximately KRW 25 trillion), but its market share fell slightly from 34.1% to 32.9%, dropping to second place. After SK Hynix gained the 1st ranking in the HBM market in the first quarter of last year thanks to increased sales, the ranking returned to its original position a year later.
It was the first time in 33 years that the top rank in the DRAM market changed since Samsung Electronics won the global No. 1 ranking in 1992. Since then, SK Hynix has taken the top spot for three consecutive quarters, until the third quarter of 2025, based on Omdia data.
Samsung Electronics’ significant sales growth in the DRAM market is driven by the overall rise in general-purpose DRAM prices. According to Counterpoint, the prices of DRAM for servers in the fourth quarter of last year rose by 76% compared to the previous quarter, and are expected to rise 98% in the first quarter of this year as well. Samsung Electronics benefits more from rising DRAM prices because it produces much more general-purpose DRAMs than SK Hynix.
Samsung Electronics delivered HBM4 first, which will be supplied to NVIDIA this year, but SK Hynix is expected to gain the upper hand in overall supply. Samsung Electronics started supplying HBM4, capable of up to 13Gbps (13Gbps per second), in February.
SK Hynix is expected to begin supplying products in the first quarter. However, given its lead in production and yield, the market expects SK Hynix to take up approximately 50% of the total HBM4 supply, with Samsung Electronics accounting for 20%.

 
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LS Electric Expands U.S. Plant to Meet Higher Demand for Power Grid

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HD Hyundai and Hyosung Heavy Industries are also taking a step forward

LS Electric is making an additional investment in its high-voltage distribution board plant in Enoch, Utah, USA. Korean power equipment companies are rapidly increasing their exports and local production in the United States.
According to an industry source, LS Electric recently signed a contract with Utah to invest an additional KRW 200 billion in its high-voltage power distribution board plant in Enoch.
Its goal is to increase the current operating capacity of KRW 50 billion, to up to KRW 150 billion and expand the factory site from approximately 13,223m2 to about 79,338m2. It aims to start construction for expansion within the first half of the year.
LS Electric plans to increase the yield and quality of its plant to the level of its plant in Cheongju, the largest in Korea. Utah is expected to offer ‘Rural Economic Development Tax Increment Financing (REDTIF)’ benefits for this investment.
The reason for the factory expansion is the demand from U.S. big tech companies for high-voltage distribution boards for AI data centers.

In response, domestic power equipment companies, including LS Electric, are continuously increasing their investments in the region. HD Hyundai Electric intends to construct a second plant in Alabama, while Hyosung Heavy Industries plans to expand its ultra-high voltage transformer plant in Memphis, Tennessee, to the largest in the United States.

Due to the overwhelming demand for power equipment in the U.S. market, not only local production but also exports are increasing. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, exports of electrical equipment, including voltage regulators, cables, and circuit breakers, totaled USD 16.7 billion last year, a 7% increase from USD 15.6 billion in 2024. Exports are expected to reach USD 17.7 billion this year, a 6% increase from the previous year.
 
 
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Global Sales of Memories

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Global Sales of Memories Will Be Higher This Year

Sales will continue to grow until next year
Increased production of DRAM for HBM and servers is drawing attention

An analysis suggests that the ‘semiconductor supercycle’ driven by artificial intelligence (AI) will fundamentally change the structure of the memory semiconductor market. Amid a memory shortage that is already happening in the market, the global memory market is expected to exceed USD 500 billion this year, more than doubling last year’s size.

According to Taiwanese market research firm TrendForce, global sales of memories will reach USD 551.6 billion (approximately KRW 795 trillion) this year, a 134% increase from last year. It also analyzed that sales in 2027 will peak at USD 842.7 billion (approximately KRW 1,215 trillion), a 53% increase from this year.
This growth is driven by the AI industry’s development direction because the need for high-bandwidth, large-capacity DRAMs for large-scale model parameter processing, inference, and multi-task parallel processing is growing as the data covered is exploding in quantity.
The fact that major suppliers such as Samsung Electronics, SK Nynix and Micron are adopting the ‘selection and concentration’ strategy is also affecting the market. As these companies focus on expanding their production of DRAMs for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and servers due to the increase in demand for HBMs, which are considered ‘a leader’ in the AI semiconductor field, market prices for general-purpose DRAMs supplied to sets such as smartphones or PCs are soaring due to lack of supply.
The automobile industry is also faced with hardship due to an increase in vehicle DRAM prices. In the automobile industry, older model DRAMs are primarily used since it takes more than two years to verify the reliability of parts.
However, there is a high possibility that the manufacturing of these products will decrease as memory suppliers rapidly change their lines to the latest process for AI, which are more profitable.


 
 
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AI Investment

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AI Investment Rush from the Beginning Of the Year

OpenAI signs a KRW 15 trillion AI chip contract.
‘Investment front’ expands across all areas.

Despite concerns over an artificial intelligence (AI) bubble, global big-tech companies and investors are heavily investing again in AI in the new year. Investment seems to be expanded across all areas including power infrastructure, data centers, robot and manufacturing automation, security and healthcare, beyond the competition in generative AI models.

According to the Wall Street Journal, OpenAI has agreed to purchase up to 750MW of computing capacity from AI semiconductor startup Cerebras Systems over the next three years. The contract is worth USD 10 billion (approximately KRW 14.7 trillion). OpenAI plans to use AI-specific chips designed by Cerebras to process responses by ChatGPT. Cerebras has been developing semiconductors specialized for inferring process generating answers to an actual user’s questions after a large-scale language model (LLM) has completed training.
Behind OpenAI’s large-scale contract is the current demand from 900 million users.
Its competitor Anthropic is also seeking to attract big investment. Anthropic is preparing to attract USD 10 billion worth of investments based on its enterprise value of USD 350 billion.
The scope of investment expands even further at the startup level. Skild AI, which develops general-purpose AI software for robots, recently closed a deal for USD 1.4 billion in Series C investment, making the enterprise value at USD 14 billion.
As a power shortage problem emerges, the nuclear fusion sector, which is considered an alternative to solve this problem, is also experiencing similar changes. Nuclear fusion startup Type One Energy recently raised USD 87 million and is accelerating its efforts to build a commercial fusion power plant by the mid-2030s.
There are also significant moves in funding. Andreessen Horowits, a leading Silicon Valley top venture capital firm, recently raised a new fund worth over USD 15 billion, the largest ever.


 
 
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