BlockBeats news, on June 22, Critini Research analyst Jukan cited content from South Korean IT technology media "Electronic News" on social media, stating that South Korea's storage semiconductor exports in June are expected to reach a record high.
Reports indicate that exports of memory semiconductors in June continued their strong momentum, with AI demand and supply shortages driving both export value and unit prices sharply higher. The spillover effect from HBM shortages has spread to general-purpose DRAM, NAND, and SSDs, with exports expected to surpass the historic record of $37.16 billion set in May.
According to data from the Korea Customs Service on June 22, exports of major storage products from June 1 to 20 exceeded $23 billion, surpassing 60% of May’s total. Given the recent growth momentum across product categories, June’s total exports are projected to reach between $38 billion and $42 billion, setting a new record. The concentration of shipments at month-end typically further boosts export volumes.
In June, all storage categories saw simultaneous surges in export value and unit prices, reflecting the structural expansion of the AI storage supercycle. Among these, HBM (chiplet packaging) export value surged 51% month-over-month, as major players like NVIDIA continue investing in AI data centers, leading to ongoing supply constraints for HBM3E and HBM4 dominated by SK Hynsi.
The concentration of wafer capacity toward HBM has reduced the supply of general-purpose DRAM, pushing its unit price to two to three times that of the same period last year. Coupled with a recovery in PC and smartphone demand, export values have risen significantly. The expansion of AI inference server construction has driven explosive demand for NAND and SSDs, with both categories increasing by 25% to 28% sequentially.
The share of memory semiconductors in total semiconductor exports rose from 70% to 90%. This month, combined exports of memory and system semiconductors reached $25.5 billion, with total semiconductor exports for June expected to fall within the range of $42 billion to $46 billion.
With strong performance, brokerage firms have raised their profit forecasts for memory companies. A researcher at Hanwha Investment & Securities analyzed that the Korean memory industry is overcoming its weaknesses through long-term supply agreements and HBM, meaning that even during industry downturns, operating profits will not decline as sharply as in the past.