Benchmark Drilldown · Updated 2026-05-04
AI Semiconductor Strategy
Strengthen sovereign AI chip capability
- Year
- 2024
- Region
- South Korea
- Type
- Strategy / policy document
Detail
South Korea's AI Semiconductor Strategy was jointly released in 2024 by MSIT + Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, with ₩9 trillion (~US$6.5bn) earmarked. Priorities: (1) Samsung + SK hynix HBM (high-bandwidth memory) — currently #1 global market share; (2) sovereign AI inference / training chip R&D (Samsung Mach, Rebellions Atom, FuriosaAI RNGD); (3) joint R&D with NVIDIA / AMD; (4) target 20% global AI chip market share by 2030. Assessment: HBM is the most stable pillar — SK hynix supplies near 70% of NVIDIA H100 / B200 HBM, with Samsung close behind. But sovereign inference chips (Rebellions, FuriosaAI) remain far smaller than NVIDIA and depend on chaebol orders to scale. The "sell HBM to America, use sovereign chips at home" strategy will be the key signal to watch through 2026-2030.
References
Continue exploring this region
Region overview
South Korea Core Strategy
South Korea's core AI strategy is K-AI Strategy / AI Basic Act, with the public year marked as 2019/2025.
Region overview
South Korea Investment Scale
South Korea's AI investment signal is: ₩100 trillion (~$71.5B) public-private fund.
Region overview
South Korea Governance Model
South Korea's AI governance model can be summarised as: AI Basic Act (passed 2024).
Region overview
South Korea Core Strength
South Korea's comparative strength versus Singapore is: Chaebols + semiconductors, dominant investment scale.
Core strategy
K-AI Strategy
National AI development blueprint
Core strategy
AI Basic Act
Passed by the National Assembly in 2024 and effective 2025; Asia's first full-scope AI law
Data note
Curated benchmark drilldown profile, last updated 2026-05-04.