Amid growing efforts to reinforce the domestic chip materials, parts and equipment industry by relying less on Japanese imports, South Korean chipmaker SK hynix said Tuesday it will support three new partner firms and co-develop products for the next two years.

The memory chip manufacturer said it has selected Semics, LKN and Evertech Enterprise as innovative tech firms and has signed agreements at its headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.

“Despite the difficulty that we are enduring during the COVID-19 outbreak, we will continue to make efforts to raise competitiveness and strengthen the domestic chipmaking ecosystem,” said SK hynix CEO Lee Seok-hee.

Semics is a wafer testing equipment supplier, while LKN produces a part that helps fixates wafers in semiconductor equipment. Evertech provides flux, a material used in post-processing chips.

SK hynix will co-develop chips with the three firms, and allow them to test developed products at its manufacturing facility. It will also provide free-rate loans for development of related technologies and management consultation.

“The selected companies are highly competitive in the materials, parts and equipment sector,” an SK hynix official said.

SK hynix has been choosing innovative and capable firms and offering them technological and financial support since 2017.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)