SKC's US Factory Ready for Glass Substrate Production

South Korea's SK Group subsidiary, SKC, has announced that its U.S. branch, Absolics, has completed construction of a new factory in Georgia. The $222 million facility has commenced mass production of glass substrate prototypes, marking a pivotal moment in the global glass substrate industry, according to industry analysts.

Leading companies in the global glass substrate market include Intel, SKC, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and LG Innotek. Glass substrates offer significant advantages over traditional resin composite substrates, including higher flatness, greater interconnect density, and improved energy efficiency. These benefits make glass substrates particularly well-suited for next-generation high-performance computing chips, which are increasing in size. As a result, the technology has garnered strong interest from major industry players. Research firm The Insight Partners forecasts that the global glass substrate market, currently in its early stages, will grow from $23 million this year to $4.2 billion by 2034.

Intel, one of the first companies to enter the glass substrate sector, has announced plans to introduce its solutions by 2026 and begin applications by 2028. The company has invested approximately $1 billion to establish a research and development line and supply chain for glass substrates at its Arizona plant. AMD is also making significant strides in this area, with plans to launch glass substrates between 2025 and 2026, in collaboration with global component manufacturers to maintain its competitive edge. Samsung Electro-Mechanics aims to complete prototype trial production by 2025 and start mass production in 2026. LG Innotek is forming a team this year to prepare for market entry.