Semiconductor Exhibition in Seoul, South Korea

The SEMICON KOREA 2026 exhibition was successfully held from February 11 to 13, 2026, at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center in Seoul, South Korea. Hosted by the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), this year’s event was themed “Transform Tomorrow,” focusing on AI-driven industrial transformation and serving as a premier annual gathering for the global semiconductor industry.

In terms of scale, the exhibition reached an all-time high, bringing together 550 exhibitors from around the world, with over 2,400 booths, and attracting approximately 75,000 professional visitors. For the first time, the exhibition space expanded into nearby hotels—The Westin Seoul Parnas and Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas—highlighting the rapid growth of South Korea’s semiconductor sector. The lineup of participating companies was impressive, featuring industry giants such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, alongside global chip leaders including NVIDIA, Intel, Micron, Kioxia, and Sony, as well as top-tier equipment and materials suppliers like ASML, Applied Materials, Lam Research, Tokyo Electron, and KLA.

This year’s central theme revolved around “yield,” which has become a critical metric determining the future of semiconductors. As demand for AI-driven semiconductors evolves toward HBM4 (the sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory) and 2-nanometer process technology, ensuring correct fabrication has become more crucial than simply producing chips. In his keynote address, Lee Sung-hoon, Vice President of R&D Processes at SK Hynix, emphasized that the memory industry is at a technological inflection point: DRAM scaling is approaching its physical limits, NAND is advancing toward ultra-high-layer stacking, and another major technological shift is expected after 2027, making it impossible to sustain development paces using conventional methods. He proposed “AI-driven R&D innovation” as a solution and shared a case study of collaboration with NVIDIA to optimize process simulation. Meanwhile, Song Jae-hyuk, President of Samsung Electronics, stated that HBM4 quality has already reached peak levels and that the company is preparing next-generation 3D stacking technologies such as “Z-HBM.”

Advanced packaging and HBM technologies emerged as key highlights of the show. Advantech showcased visual and motion-control solutions tailored for HBM4 processes, capable of overcoming yield bottlenecks, while also presenting high-speed vision inspection systems based on high-density edge AI servers. EVG exhibited its GEMINI FB wafer bonding system, EVG40 D2W die-to-wafer alignment system, IR LayerTransfer platform for layer transfer, and the high-throughput LITHOSCALE XT maskless exposure system. MingSai Technology brought three major product lines—precision dispensing, precision mounting, and water-guided lasers—highlighting its SS101 wafer-level dispensing system, SS300 panel-level dispensing system, GS600SUA underfill dispenser, and the self-developed MLS300 ultra-precise water-guided laser processing system.

A rich array of concurrent events created a high-end platform for industry dialogue. The exhibition hosted more than 30 specialized conferences, with over 200 experts delivering presentations covering core topics such as advanced manufacturing technologies, AI, smart manufacturing, metrology and testing, reliability and validation, compound power semiconductors, cybersecurity, market trends, investment opportunities, and global R&D collaborations. The opening ceremony featured keynote speeches by leaders from Samsung Electronics, ASE, Cadence, Lam Research, SK Hynix, and NVIDIA. A supplier matchmaking program invited procurement representatives from Intel, Kioxia, Lam Research, Micron, and Sony, along with approximately 100 Korean companies, to engage in business discussions.

International participation saw a significant increase, with Czech enterprises making their debut as a national pavilion. TESCAN presented scanning electron microscopes and related analytical tools for defect analysis and material characterization, while SVCS displayed horizontal and vertical furnaces used in semiconductor and photovoltaic manufacturing processes. For the first time, the exhibition co-hosted an AI summit with KAIST, adding a series of high-profile events, including a cybersecurity forum, a global semiconductor regulatory outlook forum, a investment forum, and a Netherlands–Korea technology cooperation symposium.

SEMICON KOREA 2027 is scheduled to take place from February 17 to 19, 2027, at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center in Seoul. The exhibition will continue to serve as an efficient platform for global semiconductor industry communication and collaboration.