![SpaceX and Elon Musk [Hanmi Semiconductor]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/12/news-p.v1.20260612.f35277e47f044e869f034e04d89b4629_P1.jpg)
Move targets AI chip, satellite communications infrastructure boom
Investment seen as early bet on Elon Musk's Terafab project
Eyes on returns after HPSP success as firm pursues global growth plays
Hanmi Semiconductor will invest 50 billion won (about $32.7 million) in SpaceX, the private space company founded by Elon Musk. The company disclosed the share acquisition in a regulatory filing Monday, describing the move as a strategic investment to position itself at the intersection of AI semiconductors, data centers, aerospace and satellite communications data services.
SpaceX has built its global influence on reusable rocket technology and its Starlink satellite internet service. Reuters reported that the company's growth has been driven by Starlink and its launch business, with Starlink accounting for 60 percent of SpaceX's sales last year.
The investment also connects to Musk's ambitions in semiconductor manufacturing. Musk is pursuing plans to build Terafab, a massive semiconductor manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas, aimed at securing AI chips for SpaceX, Tesla and xAI. According to Reuters, Musk is expected to outline the Terafab concept at an internal ASML event and has held related discussions with the Dutch chipmaking equipment company.
Hanmi Semiconductor believes the Terafab project, if it moves forward, could open a new market combining AI semiconductor manufacturing, aerospace and data center infrastructure. The company views its SpaceX investment less as a short-term financial bet and more as a preemptive strategic stake in a future growth industry.
Hanmi Semiconductor has a track record of investing in emerging technology companies. In 2021, the company and Chairman Kwak Dong-shin each invested 37.5 billion won — 75 billion won in total — in semiconductor equipment maker HPSP. After gradually selling their stakes, Hanmi Semiconductor realized cumulative returns of 237.9 billion won and Kwak 241.6 billion won, for a combined gain of 479.5 billion won — a return of 639.3 percent on the original investment.
The personal ties between Kwak and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel are also cited as part of the backdrop for this investment. Thiel co-founded PayPal with Musk and is known as an early investor in SpaceX, Facebook and LinkedIn. Crescendo Equity Partners, a global private equity fund backed by Thiel, invested in Hanmi Semiconductor in 2013, forging a relationship with Kwak.
Last year, Kwak personally invested 31 billion won in Line Next, a global Web3 company affiliated with Line Yahoo, acquiring an 8.5 percent stake. Since the HPSP investment, Hanmi Semiconductor has consistently sought co-investment opportunities with global growth companies.
"We decided to invest in SpaceX in line with the expansion of the AI industry beyond semiconductors and data centers into aerospace and satellite communications data services," a Hanmi Semiconductor official said. "We plan to reinvest the expected returns into our core semiconductor equipment business to simultaneously enhance the company's sustainable growth, corporate value and shareholder value."
hong@heraldcorp.com
