SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won speaks with Korean reporters at SK hynix’s booth during Computex 2026 at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei, Taiwan, on the 2nd (local time). SK hynix
SK Group Chairman Tae-won Chey said the company will double SK hynix’s production capacity within the next five years, outlining his vision to lead a memory chip market facing deepening shortages driven by artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure expansion. Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) unveiled its first prototype of HBM5, the eighth generation of high-bandwidth memory, accelerating its push for a “technology super-gap.”
Meeting reporters Tuesday at SK hynix’s booth at Computex 2026 at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei, Taiwan, Chairman Chey said, “A memory shortage is expected through 2030,” adding, “We will double our capacity over the next five years.” Analysts said his remarks align with Nvidia’s announcement that it will double production capacity for its “Vera Rubin” AI accelerator through Taiwan’s supply chain. Nvidia is SK hynix’s largest customer.
“These days, building a new fab takes at least three years, and starting from a greenfield site takes more than five years,” he said. “We need to overcome the memory bottleneck, but we have to break through obstacles on a decade-long scale.” Chey also visited the booths of major Taiwanese companies including Foxconn and Acer, reviewing partnership ties on site.
Song Jai-hyuk, president and chief technology officer (CTO) of Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor division, who represented the company at Computex 2026, held a press briefing at the Samsung Display booth and unveiled the eighth-generation HBM prototype for the first time. “HBM5 features a base die manufactured for the first time in the world using a 2-nanometer (nm, one-billionth of a meter) foundry process, along with a heat path block (HPB) that controls heat generation,” CTO Song said, signaling that the advancement of HBM technology will also boost Samsung’s foundry business.
Samsung Electronics is leading the technology super-gap in next-generation HBM this year. After becoming the first in the industry to begin HBM4 mass production in February, the company also became the first to ship HBM4E samples last month. “We are firmly investing in every possible resource,” CTO Song said, explaining the backdrop of Samsung’s HBM technology leadership.