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Home/Blog/Korea
Thursday 29 October 2026 · 2 min read · Korea · Memory · Alternative data

Korea chip exports: 7 things AI investors should know

Korea publishes its trade numbers on the first day of every month, with early readings after 10 and 20 days. For anyone who owns memory or AI chip stocks, they are some of the most useful numbers in the world.

1About two-thirds of Korean chip exports are memory

So the total tracks HBM, DRAM and NAND demand and pricing for SK hynix, Samsung and, indirectly, Micron.

22026 has set record after record

Monthly chip exports climbed from about $20 billion in January 2026 to over $60 billion in September, up more than 250% from a year earlier.

3Price matters as much as volume

Much of the growth comes from higher memory prices, which flow almost straight to memory makers' profits.

4Exports to Taiwan are mostly HBM for NVIDIA

Customs records Taiwan as the destination because TSMC packages HBM next to the GPU there.

5The 10-day and 20-day readings come first

They give an early signal before the full month is published.

6A flat month is the warning sign

Memory is cyclical. The first month without growth would matter more than another record.

7They move more than memory stocks

TSMC, packaging firms and NVIDIA's suppliers all trade on the same demand signal.

How to read a Korea export release

Look at three things: the total chip export number, the change from a year earlier, and the per-working-day rate, which adjusts for holidays. Then compare with the 10-day and 20-day readings released earlier in the month. A strong full month after soft early readings, or the reverse, is often what moves memory stocks on the day.

What could change the picture

A slowdown in hyperscaler spending, a jump in memory supply as new fabs come online, or new export rules on shipments to China would all show up in Korean export data before they show up in company earnings. That's why it's worth checking every month even when the trend looks secure.

Check the chart on the 1st of each month.

See the Korea chart →

Frequently asked questions

When does Korea publish chip export data?

Full-month data on the 1st of each month, with 10-day and 20-day readings around the 11th and 21st.

Which stocks do Korean chip exports affect?

SK hynix, Samsung Electronics and Micron most directly, then TSMC, chip-packaging firms and NVIDIA.

Where can I see the history?

Our alternative data page charts Korean chip exports month by month since January 2025.

More guides

Figures quoted are as of the publish date; the linked pages show live data. Educational research by Singularity Research, not investment advice.