The global memory chip market is facing a prolonged shortage that will continue beyond 2030, directly impacting the production of computers, smartphones and cars. The main reason for the crisis is the rapid growth in demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), triggered by the global boom in artificial intelligence technologies.
The global memory chip market is facing a prolonged shortage that will continue beyond 2030, directly impacting the production of computers, smartphones and cars. The main reason for the crisis is the rapid growth in demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), triggered by the global boom in artificial intelligence technologies.
This was stated by Kwak No-jun, CEO of South Korean company SK Hynix, in a comment to Bloomberg. He made the statement after the manufacturer’s record-breaking IPO on the US stock market on Friday, July 10, 2026.
According to the company’s head, due to the threat of a prolonged shortage of components, large customers are already massively switching to long-term contracts in an attempt to guarantee themselves stable supplies. Kwak No-jun explained that large-scale investments by data center operators in AI infrastructure have significantly limited resources to meet the overall demand for traditional memory for consumer electronics.
As part of the successful placement of American depositary receipts on Nasdaq, the South Korean giant raised $26.5 billion. This listing became the largest initial public offering of shares by a foreign company in the US in history, breaking the ten-year record of China’s Alibaba.
SK Hynix management plans to use the raised funds to strengthen its position in the center of AI development — the United States. In particular, the company is considering launching production in the US if potential sites meet the requirements for stable water and electricity supplies, as well as the availability of qualified personnel.
«We need to move to an AI center in the US to work more closely with partners, grow together, and contribute to a shared AI ecosystem,» Kwak No-jun noted.
SK Hynix’s main competitors in the market — Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology — also confirm the difficult situation. American Micron predicts a long-term shortage, and its CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said that there is currently no understanding when supply will be able to fully meet the frantic demand.
Previously, the world’s three largest manufacturers of random access memory (DRAM) were at the center of a lawsuit. Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron are accused of colluding to regulate supply and artificially inflate prices in the market.
