Key facts
- Samsung Electronics has opened an advanced semiconductor packaging research and development center in Yokohama, Japan.
- The facility aims to foster collaboration with Japanese companies specializing in back-end chipmaking processes.
- The center will focus on enhancing AI chip performance through innovative packaging technologies.
- Samsung plans to invest approximately ¥40 billion over five years to expand the lab's infrastructure and research team.
- The lab is expected to be fully operational with pilot production lines by March 2027.
Samsung Electronics has inaugurated an advanced semiconductor packaging research and development center in Yokohama, Japan, on September 8, 2026. The facility, representing an investment of approximately 25 billion yen ($170 million), is designed to bolster Samsung's 2.5D and 3D chip packaging capabilities by leveraging Japan's expertise in semiconductor materials and dicing equipment. This strategic move aims to enhance AI chip performance through closer collaboration with Japanese industry leaders such as Resonac, Namics, and Disco, and to recruit top talent from institutions like the University of Tokyo.
The establishment of the Advanced Package Lab (APL) signifies a broader trend in the AI semiconductor landscape, shifting from individual corporate competition to cross-border alliances. Samsung plans to invest an additional ¥40 billion over five years, starting in 2024, to expand the APL's research infrastructure and grow its research team to over 100 employees by 2027. The lab is anticipated to be fully operational with pilot production lines by March 2027. This initiative is crucial as advanced packaging becomes increasingly vital for AI and high-performance computing devices, offering greater bandwidth and performance by integrating multiple components like GPUs and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) within a single package.