Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix unveiled their water management strategies for the first time at the 2026 Korea International Water Week (KIWW2026) in Daegu, South Korea, a 9–11 September expo that drew more than 10,000 participants from 60 countries under the banner "Water, Energy, AI: Securing Our Future" Evrim Ağacı.
Key takeaways
- Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix showcased ultra-pure water and industrial wastewater reuse technologies at KIWW2026, marking their first joint appearance with a water-management focus Evrim Ağacı.
- Vice Minister Kim Han-seung said the government will now factor each industrial complex's own water-reuse plans into the volume of raw water allocated to it Evrim Ağacı.
- Korea plans to expand a nationwide "water grid" linking reclaimed wastewater, dams, reservoirs and seawater desalination to smooth out patchy rainfall distribution Evrim Ağacı.
- KHNP co-hosted the event for the first time, highlighting digital hydropower and pumped-storage solutions as part of water-energy integration Evrim Ağacı.
- Future editions of International Water Week will broaden from corporate water issues to those the public cares about, Vice Minister Kim said Evrim Ağacı.
What happened at Daegu EXCO
KIWW2026 ran from 9 to 11 September at Daegu EXCO and was themed "Water, Energy, AI: Securing Our Future," according to a report published 11 September Evrim Ağacı. Daegu Mayor Chu Kyung-ho toured the semiconductor pavilion on opening day as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix explained how ultra-pure water and reused industrial wastewater underpin advanced chip production Evrim Ağacı.
Addressing the press, Vice Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Han-seung framed water as a strategic input rather than a commodity. "In the semiconductor industry, the most important things are electricity and water," he said, adding that reclaimed wastewater is now viewed as more economically feasible than seawater desalination, which remains costly because of its electricity demand Evrim Ağacı. He cautioned that domestic ultra-pure water technology still needs time to be tested and verified before it can run on real semiconductor lines, since even minor quality issues could halt production Evrim Ağacı.
The government will also link R&D projects with operating water treatment plants so that small and medium Korean water companies can build the delivery records needed to win domestic and overseas contracts, Kim said Evrim Ağacı. Daegu used the platform to attract international institutions, broker large-corporation to local-supplier matchups, and bring Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power on as a first-time co-host Evrim Ağacı.
Specification read
The reported scale is qualitative: more than 10,000 participants from 60 countries attended KIWW2026, but no specific flow rate in m³/day for Samsung's or SK Hynix's fab water systems was published Evrim Ağacı. Large-scale semiconductor fabs typically treat and reuse on the order of 10,000–50,000 m³/day of process water, of which a high fraction is sent through an ultra-pure water polishing loop and a parallel wastewater-reuse train — these are general industry ranges, not from the sources. The class of project that this event bears on is the reuse train: primary screening and equalisation, followed by a biological stage (MBR or conventional activated sludge are the common choices for the organics load from fab scrubber blowdown), then tertiary treatment such as DAF or membrane filtration, and finally a ZLD or high-recovery RO step that feeds the ultra-pure water polishers. If your plant sits in the 5,000–50,000 m³/day range with influent BOD/COD typical of mixed fab wastewater (general industry range, not from the sources), is bound by a reuse target rather than just a discharge consent, and is being benchmarked against the recycling rates that Samsung and SK Hynix are now publicising, the Daegu announcements are a direct signal that reuse rates will factor into future raw-water allocations and into how the government scores industrial complexes. Procurement teams weighing biological options for the front of that train can compare MBR and conventional activated-sludge layouts for fab duty on our MBR vs Conventional Activated Sludge for Semiconductor Wastewater in Richardson, TX (2026 Engineering Guide) and MBR vs Conventional Activated Sludge for Semiconductor Wastewater in Lake Havasu City, US (2026 Engineering Guide) pages, and follow the record-recycling data point in our SK Hynix Posts Record Semiconductor Water Recycling, Still Trails Yongin Fab Demand, September 2026 brief. For wider context on the equipment categories this touches, see our Municipal and Industries We Serve hubs.
FAQ
What did Samsung and SK Hynix actually announce at KIWW2026?
They publicly presented, for the first time, their strategies for ultra-pure water supply and industrial wastewater reuse, showing how fab wastewater is recycled back into production Evrim Ağacı. No new contract values or plant capacities were disclosed.
How will the Korean "water grid" change raw-water allocations for fabs?
Vice Minister Kim Han-seung said the government will start counting each industrial complex's own reuse plan when it calculates how much raw water to supply, with reclaimed wastewater positioned as cheaper than desalination Evrim Ağacı. Operators should expect reuse performance to become a permit and allocation lever.
What is the realistic lead time to qualify a new ultra-pure water system on a fab line?
Kim cautioned that domestic ultra-pure water technology "will take considerable time to test and verify before it can be applied to actual semiconductor production lines" because minor quality issues can halt manufacturing Evrim Ağacı. Treat any new UPW skid as a multi-quarter qualification, not a drop-in swap.
How can smaller Korean water-treatment suppliers win into these projects?
The government plans to tie R&D programmes to operating treatment plants so SMEs can build the reference list that conservative public-sector buyers require Evrim Ağacı. Qualification cost and pilot scale, rather than headline price, will decide supplier selection. Exact budget figures were not reported in the source.
