SK Holdings Co Ltd

SK Hynix, a major South Korean chipmaker, plans to build a memory chip plant in Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan, with an intended investment of tens of trillions of won. This would be the first large-scale investment by a South Korean semiconductor maker in establishing a production base in Japan. The move comes after Micron Technology and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company previously set up plants in Japan. Sources at SK told Kyodo News that any location with sufficient infrastructure could be chosen, but no decision has been made at this time, and they could not confirm Korean media reports citing financial industry sources that Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, had visited candidate sites. SK Hynix is one of the leading companies in DRAM memory chips along with Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology, and is also the world's leading producer of high-bandwidth memory chips, a key component for high-speed artificial intelligence processing. The company views the planned plant as a measure to expand production capacity amid a semiconductor boom driven by AI demand, but it also noted that the United States, which has previously pressured South Korean companies to invest in its semiconductor sector, may increase pressure on SK Hynix if the company invests in that sector in Japan.

NVIDIA is pursuing more than $750 billion of new and potential AI agreements as it accelerates investments across the global computing ecosystem. A partnership with South Korean conglomerate SK Group is expected to generate more than $500 billion of business between the two companies, including plans to develop over 2 gigawatts of AI data centers on the Korean Peninsula. NVIDIA also agreed to invest $1 billion in South Korean internet and cloud services provider Naver to support an AI data center being developed with Brookfield. Separately, NVIDIA is considering a guarantee of as much as $250 billion to help OpenAI lease a proposed $500 billion, 10-gigawatt data center hub in Ohio being developed by a SoftBank Group subsidiary, and is discussing financing approximately $350 billion of OpenAI's processor purchases for the project. NVIDIA shares declined as much as 5.3% to $195.92 on Monday amid investor concerns over the company's increasing financing of its own customers.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the semiconductor industry will likely need to expand roughly ten times over the next decade to serve a future dominated by 100 billion AI agents and billions of robots, replacing today's roughly one billion human computing endpoints. Speaking in a Bloomberg interview, Huang framed the projection as his personal guess and stressed the need to scale supply chains with partners in Korea and globally. Nvidia announced a partnership with SK Group valued at over $500 billion covering memory consumption and AI supercomputer sales, with collaboration on HBM3, HBM4, and beyond, and plans to invest $1 billion in Naver Corp for a Korean AI data center. The company reported fiscal Q1 2027 revenue of $81.61 billion, up 85.2% year over year, and guided for approximately $91.0 billion in Q2 revenue.

Nvidia and South Korea's SK Group have expanded their collaboration with an initiative worth over $500 billion spanning AI data centers and next-generation memory. The partnership includes plans for SK Telecom to build a 2-gigawatt-scale AI Cloud in South Korea using the Nvidia DSX platform and Vera Rubin accelerated computing powered by SK hynix HBM4 chips, with the first AI factory expected online in 2027. SK hynix is also entering a long-term AI memory partnership with Nvidia to secure stable supply and co-develop next-generation solutions including High Bandwidth Memory. The deals are part of $750 billion in agreements signed by SK Group and contribute to South Korea's broader $950 billion in new AI initiatives involving Samsung, SK Group, and U.S. tech companies. Nvidia separately plans to invest $1 billion for a 4.5% stake in Naver, while Samsung has inked a memorandum of understanding worth more than $200 billion to supply Broadcom with memory and foundry chips through 2030.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are preparing to announce major supply agreements with American technology companies during President Lee Jae Myung's visit to Silicon Valley. Chief Presidential Secretary for Policy Kim Yong-beom said the deals would likely include new long-term memory chip supply deals, strategic investment partnerships, and memorandums of understanding, though he declined to disclose their value. The agreements build on an $880 billion investment plan revealed last month by Seoul and backed by Samsung, SK Group, and Naver, aiming to cement South Korea's position in the global AI supply chain. The announcement comes two weeks after SK Hynix completed a $26.5 billion American depositary receipt offering, the largest first-time U.S. share sale by a foreign company, giving American investors direct access to the world's leading producer of high-bandwidth memory chips. On July 24, Samsung shares climbed 7.51% and SK Hynix gained 8.53% as the deal news overtook earlier macro jitters, highlighting how Korean memory stocks now move on South Korean diplomacy with a meaningful slice of ownership in American hands.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung hosted an artificial intelligence summit in San Francisco on the 24th, bringing together top executives from major AI developers and South Korean business leaders. Lee stated that South Korea will lead a new era of AI in partnership with global technology companies. Ahead of the summit, he held individual meetings with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and Broadcom CEO Hock Tan. The summit was attended by Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, and Naver founder Lee Hae-jin, with around 150 participants in total. Lee unveiled the San Francisco AI Declaration, outlining South Korea's AI strategy for technological cooperation with the United States. In conjunction with the conference, Nvidia and SK Group announced plans for a massive AI data center and next-generation memory, with a total value exceeding 500 billion dollars.

SK Group and NVIDIA have announced a $500-billion-plus comprehensive partnership to establish AI infrastructure serving surging global compute demand. The collaboration includes SK Telecom building a 2-gigawatt NVIDIA Vera Rubin DSX AI factory in Korea, with the first facility expected online in 2027, and a long-term AI memory partnership between SK hynix and NVIDIA to codevelop and secure next-generation AI memory including HBM. The AI factory will use the NVIDIA DSX full-stack architecture and SK hynix HBM4 to deliver low token cost at maximum energy efficiency, targeting sovereign, physical, agentic, and enterprise AI services across the Asia-Pacific region. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said the partnership will help Korea become a global hub driving AI innovation, while NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang noted that South Korea has all the ingredients to become a global AI powerhouse.

South Korea's ruling Democratic Party of Korea has proposed amending a law to allow chipmaker SK Hynix to set up joint ventures with outside investors to build factories. The current law on strategic industries with cutting-edge technologies forbids a subsidiary of a subsidiary from such moves, directly affecting SK Hynix, which is a unit of SK Square under SK Inc. If passed, the amendment would let SK Hynix attract outside capital for new fabs while retaining at least a 50% stake. The lawmakers said fast construction of fabs is needed to compete globally and that traditional capital raising is insufficient, with SK Hynix having raised 26.5 billion dollars in a U.S. share sale last week but expected to need far more funds. The proposed change also requires any new venture to have its headquarters outside the greater Seoul area to stimulate regional economies.

SK Hynix is set to debut on the Nasdaq with a $26.5 billion listing, marking the payoff of a risky bet by South Korean billionaire Chey Tae-won. Chey's SK Group acquired the then loss-making Hynix in 2012 and invested heavily in high-bandwidth memory chips, a niche technology that later became critical for Nvidia's AI accelerators. The wager helped SK Hynix become the world's largest producer of HBM chips, with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang calling SK its largest memory partner. Chey, who is not a direct shareholder of SK Hynix but controls a stake through SK Inc and SK Square, has an estimated wealth of $5.4 billion according to Forbes. The listing comes amid concerns that AI-driven memory demand may not keep pace with soaring prices and expansion plans.

KKR and SK Inc. have launched Korea's largest renewable energy platform, consolidating key solar and wind assets and including a 10,000MW development pipeline aimed at supplying clean power to major industrial users such as AI data centers and semiconductor manufacturers. The platform increases KKR's exposure to energy transition assets tied directly to industrial demand. Investors may monitor how effectively the partners build out the pipeline and secure long-term offtake agreements, as these factors can influence cash flow visibility and asset valuations.

Dongxin Shares indicated that the price increase trend for niche memory products continued in the second quarter, and prices are expected to keep rising in the second half of the year. JPT plans to acquire 100% equity in NEOPTICS for 1.12 million Singapore dollars through a wholly owned subsidiary, aiming to strengthen its optical connectivity business. South Korea, together with companies like Samsung and SK, has launched a 312 trillion won investment plan, focusing on the semiconductor and aerospace industries. The National Medical Products Administration plans to include eligible cell and gene therapy drugs in the 30-day review and approval channel for innovative drug clinical trials. Alibaba has completely banned internal use of Claude Code starting July 10 due to the risk of implanted backdoors. This week, the Shanghai Stock Exchange conducted focused monitoring of stocks with abnormal fluctuations such as CSSC Special Gas, Changyingtong, and Yunzhong Technology, as well as funds with high premiums like Caitong Fuxin LOF and Global Chip LOF. Deutsche Bank estimates that Meta's cloud business could generate additional revenue of 9 billion to 30 billion US dollars by 2027. Huaqin Technology signed a framework sales contract for special functional materials for aircraft fuselages worth approximately 278 million yuan. Sun-Novo plans to raise no more than 240 million yuan for nucleic acid drug platform construction. Rushen Robotics and InnoMab completed Pre-A round financing of 100 million yuan and several hundred million yuan, respectively.

South Korea’s two largest memory chip makers, Samsung and SK Hynix, plan to invest $518 billion to build four new memory fabs in the southwestern region, part of a broader national investment plan unveiled at a presidential briefing on Monday. The overall plan includes an additional $52 billion for a high bandwidth memory packaging hub in the central region and $356 billion for AI data centers to be built by companies such as SK, GS, and Naver through 2035, bringing total commitments to over $900 billion. President Jae Myung Lee said existing chip facilities in Yongin and Pyeongtaek have reached their limits and urged accelerated investment in the southwest, while pushing back against reports of government pressure on companies. Samsung separately announced a 2,655 trillion won investment plan over the next decade, with 425 trillion won earmarked for the Honam region, and SK Group outlined a 2,100 trillion won medium-to-long-term roadmap, including 1,100 trillion won for semiconductor capacity expansion and 1,000 trillion won for AI data centers.

South Korean stocks recouped earlier losses after Samsung Group and SK Group pledged to build two chipmaking plants each for a combined 800 trillion won, or 518 billion dollars, during a government briefing on Monday. The Kospi index closed down just 0.2 percent, recovering from a 3.4 percent drop, while the small-cap Kosdaq gauge jumped more than 8 percent. The country aims to double DRAM production capacity in five years as part of an initiative called "Three Mega Projects for the Big Stride Forward" by the presidential office. Foreign investors sold a record 7.7 trillion won worth of Kospi shares, but local funds and retail investors bought shares, a dynamic repeated in recent weeks. Analysts said reinvesting windfall profits into capacity is positive for Korea's economy, and investors are watching for a possible broader policy package.

Samsung Electronics and SK Group are preparing to announce investment plans of up to 2,000 trillion won, equivalent to $1.3 trillion, over the next decade. As part of the plans, Samsung and SK Hynix are each expected to construct four to five semiconductor fabrication plants in the Gwangju area. Samsung is also set to establish chip packaging facilities in South Chungcheong province, while SK Hynix will expand its NAND production capacity in North Chungcheong province. The announcement will take place during a government briefing chaired by President Lee Jae Myung, underscoring the national significance of these investments.

SK pharmteco has entered a strategic collaboration with the non-profit Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator to support the development and manufacturing of rare disease therapies. Under the agreement, SK pharmteco will serve as a preferred technical partner, providing prioritized access and preferential rates for up to two therapeutic programs per year. The partnership leverages SK pharmteco's Rare Disease Advancement Initiative and encompasses process development, analytical development, and GMP manufacturing and quality control release. Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator focuses on completing development of stalled rare disease treatments, and its founder and CEO Craig Martin noted that manufacturing risk is a consistent barrier for such programs. SK pharmteco is a global CDMO and a subsidiary of SK Inc., the strategic investment arm of South Korea's SK Group.