SK group chairman says wafer shortage to last until 2030, trying to stabilise memory prices

SK Group: Chip Wafer Shortage Likely Until 2030 Amid Rising AI Demand

SK Group Chairman Discusses Global Chip Wafer Shortage and Company Strategies

By Max A. Cherney, Stephen Nellis and Heekyong Yang

Persistent Chip Wafer Shortage Driven by AI Demand

SAN JOSE, California, March 16 (Reuters) - South Korea's SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said on Monday the global chip wafer shortage is likely to persist until 2030, as demand driven by artificial intelligence continues to outpace supply.

Insights from Nvidia's GTC Conference

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Nvidia's GTC Conference in San Jose, California, Chey said that SK Hynix is reviewing a potential U.S. ADR listing to broaden its global investor base, while its CEO may unveil plans to stabilise DRAM chip prices and the group explores alternative energy sources.

SK Hynix's Market Position

SK Hynix, the main high-bandwidth memory (HBM) supplier to Nvidia, ranks No.1 in the HBM market with a 57% share and holds a 32% share of the global DRAM market, making it the second-largest player, according to Counterpoint.

"AI actually wants to have a lot of HBM, and once you make the HBM...we have to use a lot of wafers," said Chey, explaining the shortage of wafers.

"So we need some time to build up more wafers, at least four to five years. The current shortage could continue until 2030, so we expect more than a 20% shortage of the wafers," Chey said.

Company Strategies to Address Challenges

Stabilising DRAM Prices

He said that SK Hynix would try to come up with a strategy to stabilise DRAM prices.

"So I cannot just announce right here, but I guess that our CEO is going to announce a new plan for how to stabilise the price of the DRAM," Chey said.

Expanding Manufacturing and Investor Base

When asked about expanding chip manufacturing capacity in the United States, where many of SK Hynix's customers are based, Chey said establishing overseas plants required adequate power, water, construction conditions and engineering talent. Accordingly, he said this could not be done easily on demand, adding that the company was currently focusing on production in Korea.

On a potential U.S. ADR listing, Chey said the move could help expand SK Hynix’s shareholder base beyond Korea, increasing exposure to American and international investors and strengthening its global presence.

Energy Challenges and Market Performance

Chey also said tensions in the Middle East had created a lot of difficulties due to higher energy prices, pushing the group to seek other available energy sources.

Shares of SK Hynix were trading up 2.7% on Tuesday morning in Seoul, versus the benchmark KOSPI's 2.4% rise.

(Reporting by Heekyong Yang, Max A. Cherney, Stephen Nellis and Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Ed Davies)