Seoul, KOREA, March 13, 2003
hynix Semiconductor Manufacturing America (“HSMA”), the U.S. subsidiary of hynix Semiconductor Inc. of Korea, announced today that it is launching a $100 million upgrade to its DRAM fabrication facility in Eugene, Oregon.
“We at HSMA are proud that our parent company has committed to keeping the Eugene facility at the cutting edge of semiconductor manufacturing technology,” Jerold Olson, a hynix spokesperson stated. “This upgrade will assure that our Oregon facility continues to compete at the highest levels of the global semiconductor market. It sends a strong message about hynix’s confidence in the future of the industry and the company.”
hynix has invested over $1.6 billion to date in the Eugene, Oregon facility, which manufactures 256 SDRAM and DDR. These semiconductors are used in a wide variety of products. HSMA employs over 850 individuals at the Eugene facility, along with 170 contract workers. HSMA is one of the top private employers in Oregon. “We at HSMA are sensitive to the fact that when we take into account the direct and indirect employment effects of our operations, we are responsible for the jobs of literally thousands of Oregonians,” Mr. Olson continued. “At a time of economic uncertainty, secure, well-paid jobs are the greatest benefit we can bring to Eugene, Oregon, and America. In turn, our employees and their communities have been responsible for the great success of our U.S. operations. This is truly a ‘win-win’ investment. HSMA and hynix are doing our utmost to continue this success story long into the future, and we appreciate the continuing support we have received from our elected officials. hynix and HSMA are proud to be building a better future for our company and our employees in Oregon.”
Unlike previous upgrades to the Eugene, Oregon facility, production will continue at the site and will not affect current employees and operations. According to Farhad Tabrizi, Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, the result of the upgrade to “PrimeChip” technology will result in a production increase of more than 50%. “We anticipate a smooth transition in the adoption of .13 micron technology which will provide HSMA with optimum technology to continue to effectively supply 256M DRAMs to the market. We expect the new HSMA product will primarily serve our U.S. customer base for use in high end applications specially in the server market.
