Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
SK chairman warns global memory shortage may last through 2030
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, right, meets with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during the Nvidia GTC global artificial intelligence conference in San Jose, Calif., Monday (local time). Reuters-Yonhap
By Lee Gyu-lee
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said the global memory chip shortage is likely to continue for several more years, potentially lasting through 2030.
On the sidelines of Nvidia GTC 2026 in San Jose, California, on Monday (local time), Chey said supply constraints remain structural and difficult to resolve in the near term.
A prototype of the Nvidia Vera Rubin artificial intelligence platform bearing a handwritten message by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang / Yonhap
“The shortage stems from a lack of wafer capacity, and securing additional wafers takes at least four to five years,” he said. “We expect the industry-wide supply shortfall to persist at over 20 percent through 2030.”
Chey added that the company will make efforts to stabilize prices, noting that SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung is likely to unveil new measures aimed at stabilizing DRAM prices in the near future.
Despite growing calls for semiconductor firms to expand production overseas, Chey emphasized that the group will continue to focus on its domestic manufacturing base.
“Building capacity outside Korea takes the same amount of time, regardless of location,” he said. “Korea already has the infrastructure in place, allowing for a much faster response. That is why we are concentrating our efforts here.”
He also pointed to the challenges of building new fabs abroad, citing the need for stable electricity and water supplies, construction conditions and skilled engineering talent.
On concerns that SK hynix could lose its dominant position in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market amid intensifying competition and pricing pressure, Chey gave a cautious response.
“AI (artificial intelligence) requires graphics processing units (GPUs), and GPUs require HBM. We will do our best,” he said, while warning that excessive focus on HBM could lead to shortages in conventional DRAM, potentially affecting industries such as smartphones and PCs.