Samsung Electronics opens packaging lab
Samsung Electronics has opened an advanced packaging R&D hub in Yokohama, Japan, to develop next-generation materials and processes for AI and high-performance computing applications.
Samsung Electronics has opened an advanced semiconductor packaging research and development centre in Yokohama, Japan, as it expands efforts to develop next-generation packaging technologies for AI and high-performance computing (HPC).
The company's new Advanced Package Lab (APL) in Minatomirai will serve as a research and collaboration hub for advanced packaging, with Samsung working alongside Japanese materials, components and equipment companies, as well as universities and research institutions.
Samsung plans to invest approximately ¥40 billion over five years, beginning in 2024, to expand the APL's research infrastructure and strengthen its advanced packaging capabilities. The company also plans to increase the research team to more than 100 employees by 2027.
The Yokohama location was selected because of Japan's concentration of semiconductor materials and equipment companies, universities and research organisations.
Samsung aims to combine this local ecosystem with its semiconductor design and manufacturing capabilities to develop and validate materials and processes for next-generation packages.
Advanced packaging is becoming increasingly important for AI and HPC devices as conventional process scaling becomes more challenging. Technologies that integrate multiple components, including GPUs and high-bandwidth memory (HBM), within a package can provide greater bandwidth and performance while reducing communication distances between devices.
Through the APL, Samsung intends to strengthen its packaging technologies for memory and logic devices while accelerating collaboration with Japanese suppliers.
The facility is expected to support research spanning materials, process development and technology validation, helping move new packaging approaches toward commercialisation.
The investment adds to Samsung's broader efforts to strengthen its advanced packaging capabilities as demand grows for increasingly integrated AI and HPC semiconductor solutions.
