SK Hynix outlined plans to invest KRW54 trillion ($38.3 billion) in two new semiconductor manufacturing plants in South Korea, stepping up production capacity to meet long-term demand for AI memory.
The South Korean chipmaker will invest KRW35.2 trillion in its Yongin Y2 fabrication plant in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, which will produce high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and other next-generation dynamic random access memory (DRAM) products. Meanwhile, KRW19.1 trillion is earmarked for a second facility, Cheongju M17, in central South Korea to manufacture NAND flash memory chips, with the company arguing the city “offers the fastest fab construction timeline”.
The latest investment forms part of a wider manufacturing push. In June, SK Hynix unveiled plans to invest KRW600 trillion in the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster and KRW100 trillion to expand its Cheongju production base.
Yongin Y2 will become the second of four planned fabs in the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster. Construction of the plant is due to begin in July 2027, while work on the Cheongju M17 fab is scheduled to start in February 2027. The company aims to complete all four planned fabrication plants by 2033, bringing forward the original timeline by 12 years.
The latest commitment comes amid strong demand for AI memory requiring large volumes of HBM. SK Hynix explained demand for NAND memory is “surging rapidly”, adding its investment followed “a thorough review of market demand”. Citing forecasts by Omdia, it noted global DRAM and NAND demand is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 19% through 2030.
The company noted “in the AI era, technological competitiveness alone is not enough”, arguing the “ability to supply the required volume at the exact moment customers need it is the ultimate competitive advantage”.
In June, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung unveiled a long-term AI and semiconductor initiative led by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix expected to exceed $1 trillion by 2035.
Mobile World Live (MWL) brings you our top three picks of the week as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk outlined Starlink’s global broadband ambitions, Verizon lifted the lid on the network behind the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the World Bank urged developing nations to boost AI adoption.
Musk targets global broadband domination with Starlink
What happened: Musk outlined plans to increase Starlink’s network capacity 100-fold, claiming the satellite broadband business could eventually “deliver a majority of the world’s internet”.
Why it matters: The tech mogul said the goal hinges on the rollout of an expanded V3 satellite constellation capable of delivering around 10 times the performance of current V2 models. To support the plan, the company asked the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval to deploy up to 100,000 low-Earth-orbit V3 satellites, supplementing the roughly 9,600 V2 satellites already in orbit. Musk argued the additional capacity would allow Starlink to eventually carry a majority of global internet traffic in countries where the service is authorised to operate, while driving a tenfold increase in Starlink revenue even if revenue per bit falls by 90%. Quilty Space founder and CEO Chris Quilty told MWL that the company’s “bold claim” flouts its “prior statements that Starlink was most appropriate for rural user”. While V3 satellites are expected to provide a “10x boost”, he noted “aggregate network capacity is a misleading metric because capacity is geographically distributed while demand is geographically concentrated”. Earlier this week, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell claimed that Starlink Mobile could compete directly with operators including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile US using upgraded satellites and additional spectrum.
What happened: In the latest edition of the MWL podcast, Kavit and Justin sat down with Verizon wireless chief network officer Srini Kalapala, who detailed how the operator delivered connectivity as the official network provider for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Why it matters: Earlier this month, the operator revealed its network carried almost 500TB of data across all US host stadiums, including 29.2TB during the final between Argentina and Spain. To handle demand, Verizon boosted stadium capacity by three to five times, installed thousands of under-seat antennas, deployed nearly 140 small cells around venues and fan zones, and laid 80,000 miles of fibre to transport broadcast feeds from all World Cup stadiums. In the podcast, Kalapala described the tournament’s “104 games in 39 days across 18 different stadiums in three countries” as “probably one of the largest projects that we worked on.” He explained Verizon had to ensure stadiums comprising 70,000 to 85,000 people could access “good quality mobile connectivity”, while also delivering “the most reliable network” for broadcasters and powering private 5G applications including referee cameras.
World Bank urges lower income nations to grasp AI opportunity
What happened: The World Bank called on developing economies to accelerate AI adoption, arguing low-cost, locally adapted tools could accelerate economic development without requiring frontier models or hefty AI infrastructure investments.
Why it matters: In its World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence, the organisation said AI “could allow developing countries to do in a decade what might otherwise take a century”, provided governments address gaps in electricity, internet access, digital skills and institutions. World Bank SVP and chief economist Indermit Gill said AI has “thrown developing economies a lifeline”, but warned countries “must hurry” because the technology is “spreading faster and is more context-specific than earlier general-purpose technologies”. He added many high-impact use cases do not require large models or data centres, instead relying on “small, low-cost AI tools” tailored to local conditions. The report highlighted applications across healthcare, agriculture, tax collection and judicial services, while warning AI could also deepen inequality and weaken public trust without appropriate action. Foresight Communications Consultancy CEO Howaida Nadim argued the World Bank’s framework recognises that “greater opportunity lies in adopting proven tools and adapting them to local languages, data, institutions and development priorities”. She added “the next AI divide” might be “between those that successfully adapt AI to their development needs and those that remain primarily consumers of systems built elsewhere”.
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