The BuildJune 29, 2026via The Decoder
Samsung and SK Hynix plan $590 billion chip investment as AI demand sends memory prices soaring
Why it matters
Two companies controlling 80% of the global HBM market are making massive infrastructure bets on AI-driven memory demand, signaling a potential supply crunch and pricing power shift that will directly impact every AI infrastructure builder's capex roadmap.
Key signals
- $590 billion total investment from Samsung and SK Hynix
- Investment covers new chip factories and packaging centers
- Memory prices projected to climb 50% per quarter through 2027
- Samsung and SK Hynix control ~80% of global HBM (high-bandwidth memory) market
- South Korean government backing the investment
- Driven by AI data center demand surge
The hook
$590B. That's what Samsung and SK Hynix just committed to chip manufacturing as AI demand sends memory prices soaring 50% quarterly.
Samsung and SK Hynix, backed by the South Korean government, are pouring $590 billion into new chip factories and packaging centers as AI data center demand surges. According to Jefferies, memory prices could climb to 50 percent per quarter through 2027. The two companies control nearly 80 percent of the global HBM market.