Hanmi Semiconductor (042700) said on the 12th that it will invest 50 billion won in SpaceX, the world's leading space launch vehicle (rocket) company.
By securing SpaceX shares and a partnership, Hanmi Semiconductor aims to supply key equipment needed for "Terafab." Terafab is a massive semiconductor plant worth $119 billion (about 180 trillion won) that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is building in Austin, Texas. Terafab will mainly produce SpaceX's space-grade semiconductors. It will also make chips for Tesla's self-driving cars and the "Optimus" robot.
A Hanmi Semiconductor official said, "We decided to invest in SpaceX, a co-owner of Terafab, in line with the trend of artificial intelligence (AI) industry development expanding into the aerospace and satellite communications data industries," adding, "We will reinvest the expected investment returns into our core semiconductor equipment business to pursue the company's sustainable growth and simultaneously enhance corporate and shareholder value."
This investment stems from the relationship between Hanmi Semiconductor Chairman Kwak Dong-shin and Palantir founder Peter Thiel. Thiel is an early investor in SpaceX. Crescendo Equity Partners, a global private equity fund backed by Thiel, also invested in Hanmi Semiconductor in 2013 — the first time it had invested in a Korean company.
