The South Korean technology giant announced on Monday that it now expects the facility to begin operations in 2029, moving the timeline up by one to two years from its previous target of 2030–2031. The move underscores Samsung's determination to strengthen its position in the rapidly growing AI semiconductor market, where demand for advanced memory chips has risen sharply as companies invest heavily in AI infrastructure and data centres.
Confirming the revised schedule, the company said:
"Samsung Electronics plans to begin operations at its first fabrication plant in Yongin by 2029, which is one to two years ahead of the original schedule," a spokesperson said in a statement.
The Yongin semiconductor complex forms a key part of South Korea's broader strategy to reinforce its global leadership in chip manufacturing. The government has identified semiconductors as a critical growth industry and is working closely with major manufacturers to expand production capacity amid intensifying global competition.
The announcement follows fresh investment commitments made last month by Samsung Electronics and fellow South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix. Both companies pledged to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in expanding domestic semiconductor production after President Lee Jae Myung urged stronger measures to reduce regional economic disparities while boosting the country's industrial competitiveness.
As part of the government's long-term semiconductor roadmap, authorities aim to double South Korea's memory chip production capacity within the next five years. The strategy includes accelerating the construction of fabrication plants by Samsung and SK Hynix in Yongin, while also developing a new semiconductor cluster in the city of Gwangju.
Industry analysts believe the accelerated timeline reflects the increasing importance of AI-driven technologies, which require high-performance memory chips to power data centres, cloud computing platforms, and next-generation AI applications. By bringing the Yongin facility online earlier than planned, Samsung hopes to better position itself to meet growing global demand while maintaining its competitiveness in the fast-evolving semiconductor industry.