Pharmicell, Exclusive Supplier of Core CCL Material for NVIDIA AI Servers to Doosan
Pharmicell, whose core businesses are bio/pharmaceuticals and advanced materials, has been identified as the exclusive supplier of copper-clad laminate (CCL) raw materials for AI servers to Doosan's Electro-Materials BG (Business Group). The end customer is NVIDIA. The company's earnings have grown sharply on recent AI server demand. Once its third plant in Ulsan comes online in the second half of the year, production capacity will double.
According to industry sources on the 10th, Pharmicell exclusively supplies low-dielectric-constant (low-Dk) electronic materials—including resin and hardener—that serve as the core raw materials for the AI server CCL produced by Doosan Electro-Materials BG. Doosan is a key partner supplying AI server CCL to global big tech companies, including NVIDIA.
Pharmicell is reaping the benefits of being the exclusive materials supplier. Its first-quarter revenue this year came to 36.7 billion won, up 36% year-over-year. Of this, low-Dk electronic materials accounted for 26.0 billion won, or 71% of the total. Most of this is Doosan-bound revenue. That figure is more than 1.5 times the prior-year level (16.6 billion won), and roughly 7.6 times the level of Q1 2024 (3.4 billion won), when supply to Doosan began. Pharmicell's annual revenue from low-Dk electronic materials this year is projected to roughly double from last year.
The exclusivity is also expected to continue for the time being. Because the physical properties of resin and hardener can vary depending on blending conditions and processes, a lengthy optimization process tailored to customer requirements is required. Even for products of identical composition, re-certification is needed if production equipment changes. This creates a structure in which new entrants find it difficult to break into the supply chain in the short term.
In response to rising demand, Pharmicell announced in March of last year that it would invest 30 billion won to build a third plant in Ulsan. The site is roughly 1.7 times the size of the combined footprint of the existing No. 1 and No. 2 plants. Following completion in September, it is scheduled to begin operation in Q1 2027 after going through permitting and customer re-certification procedures.
Once the new plant is operational, production capacity will expand to roughly double the current level. The No. 1 and No. 2 plants in Ulsan are currently running at full capacity. The plan is to produce raw materials at the existing plants and to operate the third plant as a dedicated production base for low-Dk electronic materials.
Pharmicell co-developed the materials with Doosan over a period of about 10 years and began supplying them in 2024. The resin and hardener that Pharmicell supplies are core materials that determine the electrical characteristics of CCL. Their low-Dk properties significantly reduce signal loss occurring during data transmission.
The resin and hardener combine with glass fiber (spun yarn) to make prepreg, the insulating layer. CCL—produced by attaching copper foil to both sides of the prepreg—is used in high-value-added substrates for AI applications. Doosan sources its glass fiber from Japan's Nittobo and its copper foil from suppliers such as Lotte Energy Materials. Pharmicell supplies resin and hardener to Doosan's largest production hub in Jeungpyeong as well as its local plant in Changshu, China.
Pharmicell is also pursuing new customer acquisition, but for the time being it plans to focus on meeting Doosan's demand. Doosan recently announced plans to invest 180 billion won to build a new AI CCL plant in Thailand.