South Korean semiconductor equipment manufacturer Hanmi Semiconductor is preparing to establish a new US subsidiary as the company accelerates its expansion into the booming AI chip packaging market. The planned entity, named Hanmi USA, is expected to be set up in San Jose, California, by the end of 2026 to strengthen the company’s presence in North America’s rapidly growing semiconductor ecosystem.
According to reports, the new US unit will focus on providing local technical support, customer engagement, and equipment services for semiconductor companies increasingly investing in AI chip production and advanced packaging technologies. Analysts note that demand for AI semiconductors has created major growth opportunities for companies involved in semiconductor packaging, bonding systems, and high-bandwidth memory manufacturing infrastructure.
Hanmi Semiconductor is widely recognized for its thermal compression (TC) bonders and semiconductor packaging equipment used in advanced AI chip manufacturing. The company has emerged as a major supplier within the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) ecosystem, which has become critical for AI accelerators and next-generation graphics processing units used by companies such as Nvidia, AMD, and hyperscale cloud providers.
Industry experts believe the company’s expansion reflects the broader transformation occurring across the semiconductor industry as AI workloads drive unprecedented demand for advanced chip packaging technologies. While chip fabrication receives much of the attention in the AI race, packaging systems such as TC bonders and 2.5D integration technologies have become essential for connecting GPUs, CPUs, and HBM memory into high-performance AI computing systems.
Hanmi Semiconductor has recently intensified efforts to expand beyond its traditional HBM equipment business into broader AI semiconductor packaging markets. Earlier this month, the company unveiled new 2.5D packaging-dedicated TC Bonder systems at SEMICON Southeast Asia 2026, targeting advanced packaging technologies used in platforms such as TSMC’s CoWoS architecture. Analysts note that advanced packaging is increasingly becoming one of the most strategically important segments of the semiconductor industry.
The company’s US expansion also aligns with rising investment activity across global semiconductor supply chains. Major chipmakers including TSMC, Samsung Electronics, Intel, and SK hynix are aggressively expanding AI chip manufacturing capacity to meet exploding demand from generative AI infrastructure providers. This surge has created strong demand for packaging equipment suppliers capable of supporting large-scale AI semiconductor production.
Industry observers note that San Jose was likely selected because of its strategic position within Silicon Valley and its proximity to major semiconductor customers, AI startups, and cloud computing firms. Establishing a local presence in the United States could help Hanmi Semiconductor compete more effectively with global packaging equipment rivals while strengthening relationships with American AI infrastructure companies.
The move also reflects broader geopolitical and industrial shifts reshaping the semiconductor sector. Governments and corporations worldwide are increasingly investing in domestic chip ecosystems, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and AI-related semiconductor infrastructure as countries race to secure technological leadership in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.
