South Korean chips plunge in Seoul, Samsung down 8%

The news currently stems from a single source (statements by Broadcom and Intel executives reported by Stocktwits); no independent confirmation available.

Samsung Electronics lost 8% and SK Hynix 4% in the Seoul session, after Broadcom and Intel executives flagged funding constraints for the expansion of infrastructure linked to artificial intelligence. The Kospi, the South Korean stock exchange index, was briefly suspended as selling intensified, a sign of how quickly traders reacted to the statements by the two US executives.

Samsung and SK Hynix are among the world’s leading suppliers of advanced memory chips, components essential for the servers used in training and running artificial intelligence models. A signal of slowing investment in AI infrastructure, even if coming from just two industry players, was enough to trigger widespread selling in stocks most exposed to that demand.

The decline of the two leading South Korean memory chip makers comes as another front in the global competition over AI chips is also shifting: Nvidia’s share of the data center chip market in China fell to 34% in the first half of 2026, as Huawei gains ground in that market. This represents a significant setback for the US company, which until a few years ago dominated the segment of AI processors for Chinese data centers almost without rivals.

The two elements — concerns over funding for AI infrastructure expansion flagged by Broadcom and Intel, and Nvidia’s retreat in China in favor of Huawei — describe a day of tension for the entire semiconductor supply chain linked to artificial intelligence, with Seoul as the epicenter of today’s session and China as the ground for a competition now also measured in market share points.