Hanmi Global to Manage $4B SK Hynix Chip Plant in Indiana

Hanmi Global to Manage $4B SK Hynix Chip Plant in Indiana

Hanmi Global has been selected as construction manager for SK hynix’s $4 billion AI memory manufacturing plant in West Lafayette, Indiana, ENR reports, with construction already underway on the 133-acre site.

Market Impact

The facility is a high-bandwidth memory (HBM) packaging plant, part of the AI semiconductor supply chain, and marks SK hynix’s first AI memory production hub in the United States. Hanmi Global, headquartered in Seoul, handled preconstruction work in 2024 and will now oversee the full project scope, including design, cost, schedule, quality, safety, and coordination between U.S. and Korean partners. The company noted the facility requires cleanrooms, power, water, and gas systems tightly synchronized with equipment installation, calling integrated project management critical to the build.

SK hynix plans to begin supplying next-generation HBM that has undergone on-site packaging and testing to U.S. customers starting in the second half of 2029. The company has also signed an MOU with Purdue University for joint research and talent development in advanced packaging. The plant’s cleanroom is targeted for completion in October 2028. The U.S. Department of Commerce previously awarded SK hynix up to $458 million in direct CHIPS Act funding, plus access to up to $500 million in loans under the program’s $75 billion loan authority.

What It Means for Subcontractors

• With Hanmi Global now overseeing full project management, expect subcontract packages for electrical, mechanical, and civil work tied to cleanroom construction and utility infrastructure (power, water, gas systems) to open as the project moves from preconstruction into active build phases.
• Firms with cleanroom fit-out, semiconductor facility, or advanced HVAC/mechanical experience should position for scope given the October 2028 cleanroom completion target, a roughly two-year window for major trade work.
• Coordination between U.S. and Korean partners means subcontractors should expect detailed international quality and safety standards baked into bid packages; firms with prior semiconductor or advanced manufacturing experience may have an edge.
• The MOU with Purdue University signals a potential secondary pipeline of R&D-related construction or lab build-out work tied to the Advanced Packaging R&D Testbed, though no specific scope or timeline for that work has been announced.
• Indiana and regional contractors should track CHIPS Act-funded project announcements from SK hynix, given the $458 million in direct federal funding and $500 million in available loans already tied to this build.