[Young journalist Hansae Jung] Chey Tae-won, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and SK Group, predicted that the imbalance between supply and demand for memory semiconductors will worsen next year due to the continuous expansion of artificial intelligence (AI), and announced plans to consider constructing semiconductor plants in locations from the Honam region in Korea to the United States to expand production capacity. Chey emphasized that prices must be stabilized by increasing supply, saying, “There are projections that demand will increase by at least 60–100% next year compared to this year.” 

At a press conference held during the 49th KCCI Jeju Forum at the Shilla Jeju hotel on July 15, Chey said, “I am not sure if I should go as far as to describe the situation as ‘complete chaos’,” adding, “From a company’s perspective, semiconductor demand continues to surge, so factories need to be built quickly.”

He assessed that “virtually no semiconductor company will significantly increase its supply next year”, and that “the gap between demand and supply will inevitably widen much further next year than this year.” He further emphasized that the “supply-demand gap could develop into an even greater problem, as governments need to secure memory semiconductors for their domestic companies to continue production in the interest of economic security.”

He also left open the possibility of building production facilities in the United States. Regarding U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s call for Korean semiconductor companies to invest in the United States, he said, “He has been saying the same thing. It is nothing surprising,” adding, “I believe that if possible, we should build facilities in the United States as well.”

Regarding the KRW 1,000 trillion AI data center project being pursued with the government, he explained, “You cannot build an AI Data center without customers. If it has been built, that means there are already customers,” and “Building a facility with a capacity of about 1 gigawatt costs KRW 70 trillion, and no one does this entirely with their own capital; it relies on project financing.” He added, “Under the financing conditions, the contract term cannot be shorter than at least five years, and for a longer arrangement, a 15-year long-term contract must exist before we can say that the project has taken off.”

Regarding investment in the Honam region, he explained, “The government determined that Honam was the best location [for establishing a semiconductor cluster], and we announced the investment plan based on the assessment that it was necessary,” adding, “Once the project actually begins, unexpected obstacles or other issues could arise.”

Meanwhile, Chey expressed the view that the recently increasing surging prices of memory semiconductors actually need to be lowered. He said, “This may sound strange, but current prices are abnormal and already too high,” adding, “If we face problems related to chip inflation, we (the semiconductor suppliers) become the target of criticism.” He added, “We need to increase supply now and bring prices down.”

▶원문 기사: 최태원 "반도체 수요 아비규환…내년 공급 부족 더 심화"(2026. 7. 19)
 

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