Air Products (NYSE: APD) today announced it has been awarded the industrial gases supply for Samsung Electronics’ second semiconductor fab in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, western China.
The Xi’an fabrication line, within the Xi’an High-tech Zone (XHTZ), represents one of Samsung’s largest overseas investments and one of the most advanced fabs in China. It produces three-dimensional (3D) vertical NAND (V-NAND) flash memory chips for a wide range of applications, including embedded NAND storage, solid state drives, mobile devices, and other consumer electronics products.
Air Products has been supporting this project since 2014 from a large site housing two large air separation units (ASUs), a hydrogen plant and a bulk specialty gas delivery system. Under the new award, Air Products will expand its site by building several large ASUs, hydrogen and compressed dry air plants, and a bulk specialty gas supply yard to supply ultra-high purity nitrogen, oxygen, argon, hydrogen and compressed dry air to the new fab, which is scheduled to be operational in 2019.
“Samsung is a strategic and longstanding customer for Air Products. It is our honor to have their continued confidence and again be selected to support their business growth and this important project in western China,” said Kyo-Yung Kim, president of Air Products Korea, who also oversees the company’s electronics investment in the XHTZ. “We have been supplying the project with proven safety, reliability and operational excellence. This latest investment further reinforces our global leading position and commitment to serving our valued customer, as well as the broader semiconductor and electronics industries.”
Continuing to build its strong relationship with Samsung Electronics, Air Products also recently announced the next phases of expansion to build two more nitrogen plants serving the customer’s giga fab in Pyeongtaek City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
A leading integrated gases supplier, Air Products has been serving the global electronics industry for more than 40 years, supplying industrial gases safely and reliably to most of the world’s largest technology companies. Air Products is working with these industry leaders to develop the next generation of semiconductors and displays for tablets, computers and mobile devices.