US⁤ Urges Korean‌ Semiconductor Companies‍ to Supply HBM to Allies, Not China

A senior official from the U.S. Department of Commerce has emphasized the importance of supplying HBM, a key semiconductor needed for artificial ⁢intelligence development, to the⁣ U.S. ‍and its allies, rather than China.

Alan Estevez, Under Secretary of⁤ Commerce for⁣ Industry and Security, highlighted the significance ‌of HBM at the Korea-U.S. Economic Security Conference in ⁤Washington D.C.⁤ He stated, “The technology we develop today will determine the outcome of the new battlefield,” ⁢and stressed the need to prevent China from acquiring cutting-edge​ technologies that threaten the ⁣security of the ​U.S. and its allies.

Estevez specifically mentioned HBM, ⁢a high-bandwidth memory⁢ used in⁣ GPUs, the basis of AI. He noted, “There ​are ⁢three companies in the world that ⁣make HBM, and ‍two of them‌ are Korean companies.” Estevez emphasized⁣ the importance of developing and using HBM capabilities for the needs⁤ of the U.S. and its allies, expressing appreciation for⁢ South⁢ Korea’s cooperation in this regard.

SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics, and Micron dominate the ⁢high-performance memory market, which​ is essential for operating AI accelerators. The U.S. is reportedly consulting with allies, including⁤ South Korea, to control the export of⁤ HBM to China.