LG Electronics has quietly launched a plan to become a semiconductor equipment maker. Its Production Technology Research Institute has begun developing a hybrid bonding machine tailored for next-generation high bandwidth memory (HBM), with an internal goal of shipping production units by 2028. Hybrid bonding is a wafer-level joining technique that eliminates the need for solder bumps. Instead, copper pads on each die are planarized to nanometer-scale smoothness and pressed together at room temperature, forming a permanent direct electrical contact. This method yields thinner memory stacks, operates at lower temperatures, and delivers faster electrical performance than those assembled with conventional thermal compression bonding. HBM consists of tightly stacked DRAM layers, where current packaging supports up to eight layers with thermal compression bonding. Stacking beyond twelve layers causes the solder bump pitch to collapse, making hybrid bonding essential for taller, more efficient stacks.

LG's push into hybrid bonding development comes as industry leaders SK hynix, Micron, and Samsung race to supply HBM4 and HBM4E memory for NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, Google, and Amazon's AI systems slated for 2026. To accelerate its program, LG is recruiting dozens of PhDs in semiconductor packaging and collaborating with Seoul National University. The company views the hybrid bonding as a natural extension of its existing B2B offerings in HVAC and robotics. Currently, only the Dutch firm BESI and the US supplier Applied Materials offer commercial hybrid bonding, and neither has operations in Korea. Local competitors, including Samsung's Semes, Hanwha Semitec, and Hanmi Semiconductor, remain in prototype or pilot phases. If LG meets its 2028 target, its first customer shipments could align with SK Hynix's HBM4E volume ramp and Samsung's HBM4 risk line launch.