Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 29
South Korea Commits $1 Trillion to Chips, AI Data Centers and Robots by 2028
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 29

South Korea Commits $1 Trillion to Chips, AI Data Centers and Robots by 2028

3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 29

Summary

  • $1 trillion in government and corporate commitments will fund South Korea’s flagship push into memory chips, AI data centers and humanoid robots, with commercial robot deployment targeted by 2028.
  • $585 billion of that total is earmarked for Samsung and SK Hynix to build new chip fabs in the southwest and expand capacity near Seoul, part of a plan to double national DRAM output within five years.
  • The spending surge responds to AI-driven memory demand that has lifted Samsung and SK Hynix profits and valuations while straining global supply and raising electronics prices.
  • Hyundai is separately racing to mass-produce Boston Dynamics humanoids for factory work, even as labor unions resist wider robot adoption and politicians debate how to share chipmakers’ AI-boom windfalls.

Insights

Why did markets punish Samsung and SK Hynix for their massive $1.3 trillion bet on the future of AI?
As Korea pivots investments from China to the US, how will this reshape global tech and political alliances?