Samsung Ramps Up Construction of Pyeongtaek P5 Chip Facility

Samsung is ramping up construction of its next-generation semiconductor plant, P5, at its Pyeongtaek campus in South Korea. The company has brought forward the schedule for building clean rooms, important for chip production, by about six months. This could allow it to meet the increasing demand for cutting-edge memory chips, mainly for HBM products.

Samsung brings forward the clean room schedule at its P5 semiconductor plant

Initially, Samsung planned to start the construction of clean rooms for P5 early next year, with preliminary work scheduled for Q4 2026. According to ZDNet, the company has asked its construction partners to expedite the project, with the clean room setup expected to begin in early Q3. Moreover, the firm has scheduled piping installation for the end of this year (the original plan was next year).

“Currently, the P5 construction site is very busy with all the cranes deployed,” said an industry insider. “Clean room and piping partners are also preparing to respond to Samsung Electronics’ sudden request”. For the uninitiated, Clean rooms are special environments within fab facilities that control factors such as temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. They should be completed before deploying semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

The P5 facility is reportedly larger than other factories on Samsung’s Pyeongtaek campus. There are six clean rooms on three floors, compared with two floors and four clean rooms at other plants. The company previously said P5 will serve as a key HBM production base to secure stable supply capabilities. It recently began commercial shipments of its 6th-generation HBM, HBM4, to key customers and plans to begin sampling custom HBM solutions in 2027.

Industry watchers say the latest move aligns with Samsung’s Shell First strategy. This approach involves building clean rooms first and then starting operations based on market demand. Meanwhile, the company has also begun ordering gas and chemical process equipment for P5, with plans to begin operations in 2028.