SK Hynix Commits $720 Billion to AI Memory Network as It Holds 58% of HBM Market
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Aug 13
SK Hynix Commits $720 Billion to AI Memory Network as It Holds 58% of HBM Market
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Aug 13
Summary
$720 billion will fund what SK Hynix calls the world’s largest memory-factory network in South Korea, a buildout aimed at meeting AI-driven demand that executives say has turned chip buying into “a war.”
58% of the HBM market was controlled by SK Hynix in the first quarter, with Samsung and Micron at 21% each, as Nvidia and other AI customers lock in longer contracts to secure scarce supply.
$26.5 billion raised in a July Nasdaq listing gives SK Hynix fresh funding for the expansion, even after the U.S.-listed shares fell about 21% from their July 14 peak to $154.41.
South Korea is backing the push under President Lee Jae Myung’s plan to double national memory output in five years, while SK Hynix, Samsung and Micron all race to add capacity in Korea and the U.S.
U.S. export controls still block SK Hynix from selling leading-edge HBM to China, sharpening a broader contest as Chinese memory makers emerge and custom HBM tied to next-generation AI chips reshapes the market.