AMD and AWS are speeding up timeline for next-gen glass substrates to compete against NVIDIA

SKC is conducting quality tests on glass substrates with big tech companies, plans to increase production capacity by up to 10x in the near future.

In a new report from Korean media outlet EBN, semiconductor glass substrates are quickly gaining attention as the next-generation technology suitable for high-performance, high-density semiconductors that generate a lot of heat, as they have a smoother and thinner surface than other existing substrates on the market, paving the way for more fine circuits to be used, and they also have less warping due to heat.

SKC has been focusing on developing glass substrate technology through its subsidiary Absolics, with EBN's new report from multiple sources within the semiconductor industry that SKC is discussing an investment plan to 4x its glass substrate production capacity before the end of 2025 or early 2026, and then expand it 10x in the mid-to-long term.

If the quality tests of the new glass substrate technology go to plan and sufficient quantities are secured by customers, the current monthly production capacity of 5000 sheets will grow to 20,000 sheets in 2026, and then after we are told it'll expand to 50,000 sheets per month.

AMD and Amazon AWS are in need of glass substrates, and after 2.5 years, NVIDIA has continued to dominate the AI chip market, pushing AMD and AWS to preemptively adopt glass substrates to catch up to NVIDIA. SKC will commercialize its first "Glass Core Substrate" which has only the core layer of the substrate changed to glass, after which through technological advancements, SKC will reportedly present a complete glass substrate where all of the substrate layers are changed to glass.

An SKC official said: "It is still too early to talk about expansion. We can review the plan, but if commercialization or customer quality tests go well, we will be able to expand at that stage," adding, "We are currently focusing on commercialization".

A semiconductor industry insider told EBN: "We will have to wait and see what the SKC quality test results are. We are planning to expand our production capacity to 20,000 units in the short term and 40,000 to 50,000 units in the long term in preparation for passing the quality test".

Another official explained: "SKC's glass substrates have already passed the technological stage and are at the commercialization stage", and that "the quality tests being conducted with AMD and Amazon are in the final stages".