[News] Intel’s First Overseas Foundry Connect in Seoul Sparks SK hynix HBM Buzz

As Intel pushes to grow its presence among external clients, South Korea—a major memory and semiconductor powerhouse—has emerged as a prime target. According to the bell, Team Blue is actively promoting its foundry services to companies including LG Electronics, Hyundai Mobis, AI chip startup Rebellions, SK hynix, and even some of Samsung’s existing customers.

Notably, Intel held its “Foundry Direct Connect” event in Seoul on June 24th—the first time ever outside the U.S. As per the bell, the event attracted key partners like Synopsys, Cadence, Arm, and Rambus, along with a strong presence from major fabless players in the country, including representatives from Samsung’s LSI division and SK hynix.

The move sparks speculation about Intel teaming up with South Korea’s top semiconductor giants. As noted by the report, Samsung’s LSI division already works with multiple foundries beyond its in-house operations, including Taiwan’s TSMC and UMC. A 2022 report from The Elec revealed Samsung planned to source extra 28nm DDIs from UMC in 2023. Whether Intel will join as a foundry partner remains to be seen.

On the other hand, the potential collaboration between Intel and SK hynix, if proved to be true, is expected to be focused on areas like HBM base dies and advanced packaging, according to the bell.

The memory giant had presented samples of its 12-layer HBM4 and 16-layer HBM3E products at TSMC 2025 Technology Symposium in April, as noted in its press release. Starting with HBM4, SK hynix plans to manufacture base dies through foundry partners—initially TSMC, but possibly adding Intel Foundry down the line, the bell suggests.

According to the Korea Economic Daily, SK hynix’s first customized HBM—likely HBM4E—is set to debut in the second half of 2026. Meanwhile, Samsung is also reportedly in advanced talks to supply customized HBM. However, unlike SK hynix, Samsung’s version is expected to be based on HBM4, a generation behind SK hynix.

Read more

• [News] SK hynix Reportedly Leads Custom HBM4E Push with NVIDIA, Microsoft; Samsung Trails with HBM4
• [News] Micron Ships HBM4 Samples with 1ß Process to Multiple Customers, Reportedly Including NVIDIA

(Photo credit: Intel)