Posts say Korea supplies 79% of HBM

Posts circulating on May 24 said South Korea supplies about 79% of global high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, capacity and linked that position to tight AI chip supply, strong memory earnings and Korea’s tax regime. Public filings and company statements support the broader claim that Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are central HBM suppliers and that AI demand has lifted their results, but the precise 79% figure was not confirmed in primary company disclosures reviewed for this article. Vertiv, which social posts also named as a key NVIDIA partner, has publicly disclosed a co-developed power and cooling architecture for NVIDIA’s Blackwell-based GB200 NVL72 platform. ### Where does the Korea share claim come from? A June 2024 BusinessKorea report said SK hynix and Samsung Electronics together held more than 90% of the global HBM market the prior year, citing shares of 53% and 38%, respectively. That older figure shows why social posts describe South Korea as the center of HBM supply, but it does not match the 79% number now being reposted. TrendForce said in a 4Q25 industry report that SK hynix led HBM capacity expansion in 2025 and that Samsung’s shipment growth was expected to lead in 2026, while Micron also ramped production. That points to a three-supplier market in which South Korean companies remain dominant, even as U.S.-based Micron gains share. ### Did AI-driven HBM demand lift Samsung and SK hynix earnings? (businesskorea.co.kr) SK hynix said on April 23 that first-quarter revenue reached 52.5763 trillion won and operating profit 37.6103 trillion won, both quarterly records, as it increased sales of “high-value-added products” including HBM, server DRAM modules and eSSDs. The company said strong demand persisted despite a typical seasonal slowdown because of expanded AI infrastructure investment. (trendforce.com) Samsung Electronics said on April 30 that first-quarter revenue rose to a record 133.9 trillion won and operating profit to 57.2 trillion won. Samsung said its Memory Business set all-time highs for quarterly revenue and operating profit by addressing high-value AI demand despite “limited supply availability,” with industry-wide memory price increases also contributing. (news.skhynix.com) CNBC reported on April 23 that SK hynix posted another record quarter as prices for its products surged amid strong AI demand, and said chip shortages could persist because capacity expansion is slow. That aligns with the social-post claim that HBM tightness has supported earnings. ### What about the tax burden claim in Korea? (news.samsung.com) PwC’s January 15, 2026 Korea tax summary said resident corporations face corporate income tax rates ranging from 10% to 25%, excluding local income tax. PwC also said certain large domestic companies can face a 20% additional tax on excess corporate earnings reserves through Dec. 31, 2028, and that a 20% special tax for rural development can be levied on some tax-credit benefits. (cnbc.com) The available sources reviewed for this article did not show Samsung or SK hynix saying recent HBM sales specifically caused a new tax burden. The evidence supports that Korea’s tax system can materially affect large companies, but the social-post framing on “large AI sales tax burdens” could not be verified from primary company statements reviewed here. (taxsummaries.pwc.com) ### Is Vertiv actually shipping Blackwell racks worldwide? Vertiv said on Oct. 15, 2024 that it had co-developed with NVIDIA a complete 7-megawatt reference architecture for the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 platform, supporting up to 132 kilowatts per rack. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said at the time that Vertiv’s cooling and power technologies would help deploy AI factories built around Blackwell systems. (taxsummaries.pwc.com) Data Center Dynamics reported in May 2025 that suppliers including Dell, Foxconn, Inventec and Wistron had ramped production and started shipping Nvidia Grace Blackwell racks after resolving technical issues. That report supports the broader point that Blackwell rack shipments were moving, but it does not show Vertiv itself as the rack shipper; Vertiv’s disclosed role is infrastructure, including power and cooling. (investors.vertiv.com) Samsung said it expects to deliver its first HBM4E samples in the second quarter of 2026, while SK hynix said it would keep strengthening HBM performance, yield, quality and supply stability. Vertiv’s NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 reference design remains posted on the company’s investor site as Blackwell deployments continue. (news.samsung.com) (datacenterdynamics.com)