Intel taps Korea chip veterans to fortify foundry and advanced packaging - CHOSUNBIZ - Chosunbiz

Intel has recruited veteran figures from South Korea's semiconductor industry to strengthen its foundry and advanced packaging capabilities. Former SK Hynix CEO Lee Seok-hee has been appointed as exec... Read original →

Intel’s recruitment of top Korean semiconductor executives isn't mere talent poaching—it’s a surgical strike to close critical gaps in advanced packaging and foundry integration. Lee Seok-hee and Han Seung-hoon will accelerate EMIB-T and Hybrid Bonding Interface (HBI) scaling, directly challenging TSMC’s CoWoS and Samsung’s I-Cube in AI chip packaging. While U.S. CHIPS Act subsidies offer financial tailwinds, they also heighten compliance burdens and supply chain fragility, especially amid tightening Korean export controls. TSMC may counter by deepening co-design partnerships with NVIDIA and AMD, while Samsung could fast-track customer migration to its 2.5D/3D solutions. Within 18 months, advanced packaging will define foundry competitiveness; without concurrent yield breakthroughs at 18A/14A nodes, Intel’s leadership hires alone won’t reverse its structural deficit.