Kim Hyun-jung, the head of the construction team for SK Hynix’s new fab in Indiana, looks out over the construction site in West Lafayette on Aug. 26, 2026. (Kim Won-chul/Hankyoreh)
On Wednesday, Kim Hyun-jung, the head of SK Hynix’s construction team at the semiconductor plant being built in West Lafayette, Indiana, was asked about the biggest difference between building semiconductor plants in Korea and the US.“Even the rocks are different,” Kim said, pointing to the ground at the construction site.In Korea, the foundation piles that support heavy semiconductor equipment are driven into solid bedrock. But there’s little bedrock at the Indiana site, which means that more piles with greater diameters have to be driven deeper into the ground.“There are substantial differences between Korea and the US in terms of culture, language, environment and attitudes, so every day brings something new,” Kim said.Concrete columns and rebar rise from expansive farmland that, just a few months ago, was planted with corn and soybeans.The columns are meant to support a cleanroom on the second floor. Since cleanrooms must bear heavy equipment while suppressing even minute vibrations, their structural supports are spaced more densely than in ordinary buildings.“The project is about 7% complete overall, while the basic construction work is about 15% complete. Everything is proceeding according to plan,” Kim said.“When electrical work and equipment installation peak next year, we’re expected to have as many as 3,000 people on the site each day.”
