Seoul is intensifying its bid for global AI supremacy by committing approximately 900 trillion won ($583 billion) toward semiconductor infrastructure. This strategic capital deployment aims to secure South Korea’s grip on the memory market amid a revitalized US industrial push under President Donald Trump.
In a Monday briefing with President Lee Jae Myung, Samsung Electronics and SK Group detailed plans for a new manufacturing corridor in the nation’s southwest, totaling 881 trillion won in fresh investment. This initiative includes the construction of four primary memory facilities and specialized hubs for advanced packaging in North and South Chungcheong provinces.
While earlier reports indicated that the investment will be as much as $1.3 trillion combined for both companies, the current confirmed roadmap focuses on doubling DRAM production within five years.
Samsung’s broader domestic plan now reaches 2,655 trillion won, encompassing sectors like robotics, AI chips, and next-generation batteries. Meanwhile, SK Group intends to allocate 1,100 trillion won to expand its chip footprint, focusing on high-bandwidth memory (HBM) to satisfy skyrocketing demand from AI server providers. Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan emphasized that diversifying beyond the
This massive scale-up responds to a global memory market expected to reach $800 billion by 2030, a fourfold increase from current levels. As competitors such as Micron and China’s CXMT aggressively add capacity, Seoul is prioritizing fast-tracked permits to avoid the years-long delays that previously hindered the Yongin cluster.
