Merck will start making molybdenum, a key metal used in making NAND chips, at its Korean facility later this year. This will help supply local chipmakers.
The company has been working to switch from using tungsten to molybdenum in semiconductor wires that connect transistor gates in memory chips.
Production will take place at Merck Korea’s plant in Eumseong, North Chungcheong, once construction is finished this year.
Merck says molybdenum is better than tungsten or copper because it has stronger electrical resistance, reducing power loss, heat, and allowing faster electron flow. These benefits are especially important for AI and high-performance computing chips. Initially, the change will focus on 3D NAND flash memory, with plans to expand to DRAM and logic chips in the future.
Executive Statement
According to Dr. Kim Woo-kyu, managing director of Merck Korea, at a press conference held on the sidelines of Semicon Korea 2026, within 2026, they plan to complete the construction and prepare for delivery to their customers in Korea. Depending on needs, they plan to supply products to their Asia-Pacific clients using Korea as their hub.
According to Katherine Dei Cas, executive vice president of EMD Electronics, the U.S. electronics division of Merck KGaA, while they expect molybdenum usage to expand into logic, the volume used in NAND will remain significantly higher due to 3D densification and the many stacked layers involved in the process.