South Korea’s June Memory Chip Exports Rise on AI Demand and Supply Shortages, Analysts Say

South Korea’s June memory semiconductor export value and unit prices rose, driven by AI-related demand and supply shortages, according to analysts.

According to Odaily, Citrini analyst jukan said on X that trade statistics from the Korea Customs Service show total exports of major memory products exceeded $23 billion as of June 20, 2026, surpassing 60% of May’s full-month total of $37.16 billion.

Based on recent monthly growth in HBM, NAND, and SSD shipments, June memory semiconductor exports are projected at $38 billion to $42 billion, exceeding last month’s record and reaching a new high. Export value and unit prices increased across memory categories in June, with MCP, described as HBM, rising 51% month over month.

The report said continued investment in AI data centers by major global technology companies including NVIDIA has contributed to ongoing shortages of HBM3E and HBM4 supply centered on SK Hynix. With wafer capacity concentrated on HBM production, general-purpose DRAM supply has tightened, and its unit price has risen to about two to three times the level of the same period last year.

Demand for NAND flash and SSDs increased alongside the expansion of AI inference server construction, with both products rising 25% to 28% month over month. Memory products’ share of total semiconductor exports increased from the 70% range previously to 90% this month.

Memory and system semiconductor exports totaled $25.5 billion, and total semiconductor exports for June are projected at $42 billion to $46 billion.

Hanwha Investment & Securities researcher Park Junyoung said South Korea’s memory industry has recently relied on long-term supply agreements and HBM to address weaknesses, adding that even if profitability declines in the future, the drop in operating profit would not be as severe as in the past.