SK Hynix will select this year's Technology Innovation Company and begin full-scale support and joint technology development for up to three years, including technology, finance, and management.

SK Hynix announced on the 24th that it selected four domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (materials, parts, and equipment) companies, including YC Chem, Solbrain SLD, ISTE, and Cobis Technology, as 'technology innovation companies' this year and held a signing ceremony.

YC Chem is a semiconductor materials (raw materials) company, Solbrain SLD is a parts company, and ISTE and Cobis Technology are equipment companies.

'Technology Innovation Company' is SK Hynix's representative joint growth program that selects and intensively fosters partner companies with high potential to achieve domestic production of semiconductor materials, components, and equipment.

The company has been selecting technology innovation companies every year since 2017, and this year marks the 7th year. Selected companies will receive benefits such as joint technology development with SK Hynix for up to three years, interest-free loans for technology development, and management consulting.

The collaborative projects between this year's selected companies and SK Hynix are detailed as follows: △Development of next-generation slurries with YC Chem, △Domestication and advancement of probe cards with Solbrain SLD, △Domestication of CVD equipment with ISTE, and △Development of hybrid wafer measurement equipment with Cobis Technology.

Through this, SK Hynix and its partners expect to be able to increase the level of domestic production of equipment, materials, and parts that are highly dependent on overseas sources.

SK Hynix President Kwak No-jung said, “Although the business environment surrounding the semiconductor industry remains uncertain, we will not spare any support for the growth and development of our domestic partners.” He added, “If SK Hynix and its domestic partners work together with a strong will to develop technology, we expect to be able to create a virtuous cycle that will enable continuous performance generation.”

Meanwhile, SK Hynix announced that it created KRW 85 billion in social value (SV) last year through its Technology Innovation Company Program. The company emphasized, "Of the 14 companies that participated in Phases 1-6, three have grown into listed companies, and the combined sales of Phases 1-4 have increased by 358%, from KRW 266.1 billion in 2018 to KRW 953.2 billion in 2022. This demonstrates the program's significant contribution to the growth of the domestic semiconductor industry."