Four U.S. companies have committed a combined $2 billion to projects in South Korea spanning semiconductor gases and equipment, advanced materials and offshore wind. Air Products is expanding semiconductor-gas facilities in Pyeongtaek in its largest project since entering Korea, Axcelis is expanding ion-implanter production to serve as an Asia-Pacific export hub, Corning is expanding advanced-materials manufacturing for next-generation devices and semiconductors, and Pacifico Energy is advancing a 3.2-gigawatt offshore wind farm in South Jeolla Province, an area expected to host a new chips cluster. The package represents 5.5% of South Korea’s $36.05 billion in annual foreign direct investment reported last year and two-thirds of the $3.05 billion in U.S. investments reported in the first half of this year. Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan met the firms at a Washington roundtable on Korea-U.S. industrial cooperation. The filings coincide with South Korea’s exports to the United States rising 89.3% year over year in August to $16.5 billion and semiconductor exports climbing 209% to a record $46.65 billion on AI infrastructure demand, as the Trump administration reportedly weighs broader semiconductor-related tariffs. Separately, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy connected eight South Korean startups with U.S. venture and corporate investors at a San Francisco forum covering artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and advanced materials.