Hanmi Semiconductor is flexing its market power in the crucial thermal compression bonder market, notifying SK Hynix of a 25% price increase as overseas clients Micron and Chinese manufacturers provide growing revenue alternatives.
The South Korean equipment maker, which controls about 90% of the TC bonder market for HBM3E memory, has shifted focus toward Micron, reportedly securing orders for approximately 50 units recently – far exceeding previous deliveries to the U.S. chipmaker. Micron plans to allocate most of its $14 billion capital expenditure this year to HBM-related investments, including production facilities in Singapore, Idaho, Japan and Taiwan.
In a move underscoring the changing power dynamics, Hanmi recalled its customer service engineers from SK Hynix facilities and redeployed them to Micron, where their equipment is reportedly achieving higher yield rates compared to Japanese competitor Shinkawa’s machines.
SK Hynix has begun diversifying its supply chain in response, ordering 30 TC bonder units from ASM Pacific Technology last September. The company also unexpectedly canceled a scheduled investor relations event this month as tensions escalated.
With Chinese memory manufacturers accelerating their HBM2 production capabilities and placing more TC bonder orders, Hanmi’s reliance on any single customer is diminishing. The company reportedly charges SK Hynix around 2 billion won ($1.5 million) per TC bonder while commanding 3 billion won from Micron and 4 billion won from Chinese clients.
Industry watchers note SK Hynix faces capacity constraints, limiting its ability to negotiate aggressively. Meanwhile, speculation grows that Hanmi may restart collaboration with Samsung Electronics after a decade-long hiatus following earlier patent disputes.
