[Hanmi Semiconductor]
[Hanmi Semiconductor]

Open-market purchase set for July 30; stake to rise to 33.61%

Second buyback in a month signals confidence in recovery

Company eyes US expansion, next-gen bonder amid HBM4 transition

Kwak Dong-shin, chairman of Hanmi Semiconductor, plans to invest 5 billion won ($3.22 million) of his personal funds to purchase additional company shares — his second such buyback in roughly a month. The move comes even as the chipmaker's first-quarter earnings fell sharply during the transition from HBM3E to HBM4 technology, with the controlling shareholder's continued buying widely seen as a show of confidence in the company's long-term growth prospects.

Hanmi Semiconductor announced Wednesday that Kwak plans to acquire 5 billion won worth of shares on the open market, with the purchase scheduled for July 30. Once completed, his ownership stake will rise to 33.61 percent.

Kwak has been buying company shares with personal funds since 2023. Including this latest purchase, his cumulative acquisitions will total 69.5 billion won, representing 736,345 shares. In May, the company announced an 8 billion won share purchase by Kwak, noting at the time that his stake would reach 33.6 percent upon completion.

The latest purchase is being read as a signal ahead of an anticipated recovery in demand for HBM equipment. Hanmi Semiconductor's core product is the TC bonder, a key piece of equipment used in producing HBM chips for AI semiconductors. The company launched the TC Bonder 4 for HBM4 production last year and plans to release the Wide TC Bonder — designed for HBM5 and HBM6 production — in the second half of this year.

Hanmi Semiconductor posted consolidated sales of 50.9 billion won and operating profit of 8.46 billion won in the first quarter, down 65.5 percent and 87.9 percent, respectively, from the same period a year earlier. The sharp decline was attributed to customers deferring equipment orders during the transition from HBM3E to HBM4.

The company expects TC bonder orders to recover from the second quarter onward as HBM4 mass production ramps up. For all of last year, Hanmi Semiconductor recorded consolidated sales of 576.7 billion won and operating profit of 251.4 billion won — the highest revenue in the company's history — with an operating margin of 43.6 percent.

The company is also accelerating its push into the United States. Hanmi Semiconductor plans to establish a local subsidiary, Hanmi USA, in San Jose, California, by the end of this year. The San Jose entity will serve as a base for technical support and on-the-ground customer service, timed to align with the launch schedules of new semiconductor facilities operated by US customers.

Several chipmakers are expanding their US investment and production footprints, including Micron, SK hynix and Amkor Technology. Elon Musk's proposed "Terafab" project has also drawn attention from the semiconductor equipment industry. Reuters reported that SpaceX has proposed an initial investment of $55 billion in a Texas semiconductor manufacturing facility, with total investment potentially reaching $119 billion if additional phases are completed.

Hanmi Semiconductor is also broadening its product lineup in the back-end equipment segment for logic chips. Last month the company launched the FC Bonder 3.5 and the 2.5D TC Bonder 40, both targeting 2.5D packaging for AI semiconductors, and is pursuing supply deals with foundry and OSAT companies. In the aerospace sector, it has begun supplying its EMI Shield 2.0 X series to global aerospace firms.

"Chairman Kwak Dong-shin's additional share purchase reflects his confidence in Hanmi Semiconductor's growth in line with our Terafab supply goals, as well as his firm commitment to responsible management," a company official said. "We will strengthen our global leadership in the AI semiconductor and advanced packaging markets."


hong@heraldcorp.com