Semiconductor post-processing company Nepes is starting to expand into advanced packaging markets such as high-performance computing (HPC) and automobiles, starting with orders for power semiconductors for artificial intelligence (AI) chipsets.

Nepes announced on the 26th that it recently received an order for power semiconductors for AI chipsets from a global fabless company in the United States and began full-scale mass production.

Starting with this order, Nepes plans to actively expand from the existing smartphone semiconductor market to the AI and HPC markets.

The explosive growth of the generative AI market, including Chat GPT, is driving a surge in demand for advanced packaging of power semiconductors (PMICs) used in AI systems.

Accordingly, Nepes is forming strategic partnerships and collaborating with its clients to prepare for the explosive growth of the relevant market.

Nepes is developing a number of products for this customer on its advanced packaging line, and its first power semiconductors shipped last year were confirmed to be installed in GPU and CPU, consumer, and IoT companies’ AI chipsets.

The product is expected to be adopted for ADAS in automobiles in the future, so additional significant volume expansion is expected in line with the growth of the forward market.

In addition, we are currently working on a 12-inch project and plan to develop products using the 600mm PLP process in the future. This is a strategy to diversify products and processes and secure a competitive edge in the market.

As the shift away from China and Taiwan of semiconductor manufacturing bases is accelerating, the strategic partnership between global chipmakers and Nepes is expected to become more solid.

Nepes plans to use this opportunity to increase its market share and continue to secure 2.5D/3D capabilities, the next-generation package for artificial intelligence.

A Nepes official said, “Neppes currently has key customers centered on the smartphone market, and this strategic partnership with a new customer will enable us to target the high-growth HPC and automotive markets.” He added, “From an industrial perspective, by attracting global fabless companies, we will be able to contribute to the structural growth of the non-memory manufacturing ecosystem, including strengthening the domestic advanced packaging infrastructure and foundries and testing.”