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.