HBM war enters new phase as Samsung chases SK hynix SEOUL, August 03 (AJP) - SK hynix remained the clear leader in the game-changing high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market through the first half, but the second half could mark the beginning of a new phase as Samsung Electronics pushes aggressively to close the gap with next-generation HBM4. The rivalry came into sharper focus following the two companies' second-quarter earnings calls on July 29 and July 30, when South Korea's two memory giants used their outlook presentations to lay out comp August 3, 2026

AI chip boom begins to warm South Korea's broader domestic front SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - Red-hot chip demand, which earned South Korea's two chipmakers 150 trillion won ($108 billion) in combined second-quarter operating profit — equivalent to about 6 percent of the country's entire 2025 nominal GDP — is beginning to warm the broader domestic front, with the AI boom spilling from exports into factories, construction sites and household spending. The latest government data suggest the country's semiconductor-driven expansion is no long July 31, 2026

Chip boom fuels Samsung heyday, beggars its device business SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - A trophy child often comes at the expense of a sibling, and the "beggar-thy-family" concept can scarcely be better illustrated than by Samsung Electronics' second-quarter results. The South Korean technology behemoth reported that its Device Solutions (DS) semiconductor division generated an operating profit of 89.2 trillion won ($64.4 billion) on revenue of 127.5 trillion won in the second quarter, translating into a jaw-dropping operating margin of 70.0 pe July 30, 2026

SK hynix is today's chip profit king, But what next? SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - SK hynix achieved something no major semiconductor company has done before: it became the world's most profitable chipmaker – albeit with little fanfare. Its record-breaking 76.1 percent operating margin in the second quarter surpassed those of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and Micron Technology, demonstrating how an early bet on artificial intelligence memory has turned the South Korean company into the industry's earnings powerhouse. July 29, 2026

Why Nvidia needs Korea as much as Korea needs Nvidia SEOUL, July 27 (AJP) - When Jensen Huang toured Seoul last month, Nvidia's chief executive said he had found a full five-layer AI cake in South Korea. Over the weekend, he stayed true to that discovery, emerging as both the biggest customer and investor in that cake. Nvidia placed itself at the center of South Korea's all-out AI push as Huang headlined the government-hosted AI summit in San Francisco before joining President Lee Jae Myung and Korea's business leaders for a relaxed w July 27, 2026

Won breaks from yen as SK hynix dollar flows reshape FX outlook SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - "Excess volatility is undesirable." That identical message from the U.S. Treasury Department applied to both the South Korean won and Japanese yen in its latest semiannual currency report to Congress, even as it kept both countries on its monitoring list. Treasury said recent depreciation pressures were not in line with South Korea's strong economic fundamentals and reiterated that foreign-exchange intervention should be reserved only for episodes of excess July 24, 2026

Trump's tariff maze keeps Korea guessing as another deadline looms SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - For U.S. trading partners—foes and allies alike—it has become nearly impossible to keep up with tariff rates during President Donald Trump’s second term. The levy on South Korean imports has swung from 25 percent to 10 percent, back toward 25 percent, down to 15 percent and then back again to 10 percent — all in little more than a year. The next number could be 12.5 percent. A temporary 10 percent U.S. surcharge on imports from South Korea and mo July 23, 2026

Korea's battery trio turns corner on ESS boom SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - South Korea's three largest battery makers are seen to have bottomed out in the second quarter as AI boom-led energy storage demand and renewed appetite for EVs from Gulf conflict-induced oil price turbulence pulled them out of a near two-year slump. The reversal of fortune has most benefited Samsung SDI, the underdog among the trio, with analysts expecting it to return to an operating profit for the first time in seven quarters. That would end a losing streak dating July 23, 2026

K-pop's second act: Why groups no longer really disappear SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - When NewJeans released a surprise anniversary film at midnight on July 22, it did more than celebrate four years since the group's debut. The video reunited Minji, Hanni, Haerin and Hyein in official group content for the first time in one year and four months after a prolonged contract dispute that had brought the group's activities to a halt. A court sided with their agency, ADOR, in both an injunction and the main lawsuit over the validity of their exclusive c July 22, 2026

Exclusive: Samsung brings ChatGPT Enterprise into prized chip business SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is set to deploy ChatGPT Enterprise into its prized and heavily coveted semiconductor business by the end of July, signaling a strategic shift as artificial intelligence enters one of the company's most security-sensitive operations. The rollout marks a notable turn for Samsung's Device Solutions (DS) division, which oversees its semiconductor operations and has maintained some of the company's toughest restrictions on external generative July 22, 2026