Memory Chip Boom Catapults Founder Of Korean Semiconductor Equipment Maker To Billionaire Ranks EO Technics makes laser-based equipment used in the production of memory chips. Updated Mar 28, 2026, 02:01am EDTurging demand for memory chips and related equipment amid the AI boom has boosted shares of EO Technics in South Korea by over 40% so far this year. The stock rise has made the company’s founder and CEO, Sung Kyu-dong, a billionaire. With a 28% stake, Sung, 68, is the largest shareholder of EO Technics, which is listed on South Korea’s technology-rich Kosdaq stock exchange. His wife, Chung Yoon-hye, and two sons combined hold an additional holding of close to 2%.Based in Anyang, south of Seoul, EO Technics makes laser-based equipment used in the production of memory chips. Its flagship product is the CSM , equipment that etches identification codes onto chips to provide traceability, allowing manufacturers to quickly isolate the source of any defects. The company’s revenue rose 19% from a year ago to 381 billion won in 2025, while net income increased 35% to 58 billion won over the same period. IM Securities analyst Song Myung-sub said in a research note last week that he expects EO Technics’ CSM to continue to grow steadily in calendar 2026, driven by new production capacity by memory chip companies like Samsung, as well as increasing demand for specialized laser marking on the protective shields and cooling components that prevent AI chips from interfering with other electronics or overheating. The company’s other major product is LA , which uses a laser to finish the electrical pathways inside the chip , providing the targeted heat needed to make them functional without damaging the rest of the memory stack. “With the increase in NAND stacking, the benefits for the company's laser annealing equipment are expected to become more pronounced starting from next year,” Song said in the report. “As higher stacking layers generate more heat, it is judged that the annealing method in NAND is highly likely to shift from a total heat treatment method to a localized laser processing method.” Sung founded EO Technics in 1989 and listed it on the South Korea stock exchange in 2000. Before starting EO Technics, Sung worked at Goldstar Central Research Center , Daewoo Heavy Industries and Korea Laser, which pioneered industrial laser technology in South Korea. He earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering from Seoul National University. Sung is the latest Korean billionaire to make a fortune from the semiconductor sector. Other billionaires in the country include