Samyang NCChem said on Aug. 13 its first-half sales rose 28.4 percent from a year earlier to 78.7 billion won. Samyang NCChem, a maker of semiconductor photoresist materials, posted strong results as demand for next-generation semiconductors expanded on growth in the AI server and data centre markets.

Operating profit and net profit also rose. Operating profit increased 38 percent to 12.1 billion won, and net profit climbed 75.9 percent to 12.8 billion won. Profitability improved as operating profit grew faster than sales.

Sales of high value-added products drove the profitability improvement. Sales of high value-added products such as polymers for ArF (argon fluoride) and EUV (extreme ultraviolet) photoresists increased, and supplies of chemical materials for cleaning processes also expanded. The company said this reflected higher supply volumes of related materials due to rising demand for next-generation semiconductors.

The company strengthened cooperation with customers from the development stage. Samyang NCChem is working on joint development of next-generation photoresist materials such as ArF and EUV with major domestic and overseas customers. It is also building a basis to expand mass production and supply of next-generation materials while improving material performance and quality stability in line with customers' process upgrades, the company said.

Chief Executive Jung Hoe-sik (정회식) said demand for photoresists and chemical materials for cleaning processes is continuing to rise, centred on high-performance semiconductors, as demand for AI servers and data centres expands. He said the company is actively pursuing joint development with customers for next-generation packaging materials for ArF, EUV and HBM, and will continue to strengthen its technological competitiveness and raise the share of high value-added products to sustain growth and improve profitability.