"HBM Is Korea's Economic Chokepoint; Blocking Tech Leaks Is Key to Lead" - Seoul Economic Daily

This article focuses on the critical bottleneck in South Korea's semiconductor industry - high-bandwidth memory (HBM) technology, emphasizing the crucial role of technology leak prevention in maintain... Read original →

South Korea’s framing of HBM as an economic chokepoint signals eroding technological moats. HBM’s tight integration with 3nm logic and EUV-based processes means any leak compromises Samsung and SK Hynix’s pricing power in AI accelerators and weakens their dominance within TSMC’s CoWoS ecosystem. Stricter tech controls will inflate compliance costs—especially around talent mobility and equipment servicing—risking supply chain fragmentation. Taiwan, China may accelerate HBM3E alternatives, while the U.S. and Japan could leverage 'trusted supply chain' rhetoric to demand tech concessions. Over the next 18 months, HBM capacity expansion will coincide with fortified IP barriers; techno-nationalism will redefine advanced packaging alliances. If Seoul relies solely on restriction rather than accelerating innovation, its lead may be overtaken by open-cooperation coalitions.