South Korea's June memory semiconductor exports expected to reach record high

Huo Xing Cai Jing reports that on June 22, analyst Jukan from Critini Research cited content from the South Korean IT technology media "Electronic News" on social media, stating that South Korea’s memory semiconductor exports in June are expected to reach a new all-time high. The report notes that memory semiconductor exports have maintained strong momentum, with AI demand and supply shortages driving both export value and unit prices sharply higher. The spillover effect of HBM shortages has spread to general-purpose DRAM, NAND, and SSDs, with exports projected to surpass the previous record of $37.16 billion set in May. According to data from the Korea Customs Service on June 22, exports of major memory products from June 1 to 20 have already exceeded $23 billion—more than 60% of May’s total. Given recent growth trends across all categories, total June exports are expected to range between $38 billion and $42 billion, setting another record. The typical concentration of shipments at month-end further boosts export volumes. All memory categories in June have seen simultaneous surges in export value and unit prices, reflecting the structural expansion of the AI memory supercycle. HBM (chip-on-chip packaging) exports rose 51% month-over-month, as major players like NVIDIA continue investing heavily in AI data centers, while supply from SK Hynix remains tight for HBM3E and HBM4. The reallocation of wafer capacity toward HBM has reduced supply of general-purpose DRAM, pushing its unit price to two to three times last year’s level; combined with recovering demand from PCs and smartphones, export values have surged significantly. The construction of AI inference servers has triggered explosive demand for NAND and SSDs, with both categories rising 25% to 28% month-over-month. Memory semiconductors now account for 90% of total semiconductor exports, up from 70%, with combined memory and system semiconductor exports reaching $25.5 billion this month. Total semiconductor exports for June are projected to fall between $42 billion and $46 billion. With strong earnings, investment banks have raised profit forecasts for memory companies. A researcher at Hanwha Investment & Securities analyzed that the South Korean memory industry is overcoming its weaknesses through long-term supply agreements and HBM dominance; even in a future industry downturn, operating profits are unlikely to decline as severely as in the past.