Positive signals are emerging from the global chip industry chain. According to the latest data, in January of this year, South Korea, often called the global economy's "canary in the coal mine," saw its total semiconductor exports reach $20.5 billion (approximately RMB 142.5 billion), skyrocketing by over 102% year-on-year. This indicates that global semiconductor demand remains exceptionally strong, driven by the wave of AI (Artificial Intelligence). Concurrently, the wave of price increases across the chip supply chain continues to spread. Domestic chip manufacturers such as Hunan Goke Microelectronics Co.,Ltd., Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. China, and Shenzhen Injoinic Technology Co.,Ltd. have successively issued price adjustment notices, with increases of up to 80%, affecting core segments like memory, MCUs, and analog chips. Analysis suggests that the upward price trend for domestic chips will persist into the first half of 2026, with the possibility of more companies following suit.
Soaring Over 102% According to data from South Korean customs released on February 1, South Korea's semiconductor exports in January 2026 surged dramatically by 102.7% year-on-year. Semiconductor export value hit $20.5 billion, marking the second consecutive month exceeding $20 billion and representing the second-highest monthly record in the history of semiconductor exports. This performance contributed significantly to the overall increase in South Korea's January export value. Data shows that South Korea's total exports in January grew by 33.9% year-on-year to $65.85 billion, setting a record high for the same period. During the same period, imports increased by 11.7% year-on-year to $57.1 billion. Consequently, South Korea achieved a trade surplus of $8.7 billion in January, marking the 12th consecutive month of surplus. Analysts point out that South Korea is a major global semiconductor exporter, home to the "memory chip titans" Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. With the global AI boom significantly boosting demand for memory chips, South Korea has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries. Beyond its mainstay categories, South Korea's exports of electrical equipment (up 19.8%), agricultural and fisheries products (up 19.3%), and cosmetics (up 36.4%) also reached record highs for the month of January. In contrast, exports of petrochemical products fell by 1.5% year-on-year to $3.52 billion, impacted by declining export prices due to global oversupply. Ship exports amounted to $2.47 billion, down 0.4% year-on-year, attributed to persistently high export prices but a decrease in deliveries. Looking at export destinations, seven out of nine major regions saw export value growth. Exports to the United States reached $12.02 billion, a 29.5% increase compared to the same period last year. While categories like automobiles, auto parts, and machinery faced pressure due to tariff policies, semiconductor exports to the U.S. surged by 169% year-on-year, driving the overall growth. South Korea's Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, Kim Jong-gap, stated that January's exports achieved double-digit high growth, with particularly outstanding performance from mainstay industries like semiconductors and automobiles, as well as balanced growth from promising consumer goods categories. He further indicated that against the backdrop of rising uncertainty in the global trade environment, the government will prioritize national interests, continue to advance communication and consultation with the U.S., and build a more robust trade structure by promoting diversification of export categories and markets to fully respond to external changes.
Price Hike Wave Intensifies Simultaneously, the price increase wave sweeping the chip industry is intensifying. Recently, domestic chip maker Shenzhen Injoinic Technology Co.,Ltd. issued a price increase letter announcing adjustments for some of its products, although the specific magnitude was not disclosed. In the letter, Shenzhen Injoinic Technology Co.,Ltd. stated, "Recently, costs in the upstream semiconductor industry have continued to rise. Our company, adhering to the principle of long-term cooperation and mutual benefit, has tried to absorb the impact of rising costs and maintain chip prices unchanged until now. To ensure the long-term stability of the supply chain, after careful research and comprehensive consideration, the company has decided to implement a certain percentage price increase for some product models." The company specified that the sales team would communicate the specific IC models affected and the new prices to partners, with all new orders following the latest price standards. Prior to this, two other semiconductor companies, Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. China and Hunan Goke Microelectronics Co.,Ltd., had also issued price adjustment notices, indicating varying degrees of price increases for some of their chip products. Among them, Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. China announced that, after careful consideration, it decided to adjust prices for products including MCUs and Nor Flash effective immediately, with increases ranging from 15% to 50%. The notice added that prices would be adjusted further if costs experience significant changes thereafter. Hunan Goke Microelectronics Co.,Ltd. announced that starting January 2026, it would increase prices for its 512Mb KGD (Known Good Die) products by 40%, for 1Gb KGD products by 60%, and for 2Gb KGD products by 80%. Prices for products with external DDR would be notified separately. The industry widely judges that the upward price trend for domestic chips will continue into the first half of 2026, and even more companies may join in. From the supply side, the trend of global giants tilting capacity towards high-end AI chips is unlikely to change in the short term, and tight capacity for general-purpose chips is expected to persist until 2027. Against the backdrop of accelerating domestic substitution, demand for domestic chips will remain high, making it difficult to quickly reverse the supply-demand imbalance. On the demand side, as global cloud service providers expand their AI data centers, this not only drives a surge in demand for AI chips and memory chips but also increases demand for server CPUs, leading to tight supply and price increases for server CPUs from leading manufacturers like Intel and Advanced Micro Devices. China Merchants Securities pointed out that price increases for various memory categories in Q1 2026 exceeded expectations. It is forecasted that global memory supply will remain relatively tight throughout 2026, with AI demand growth continuing to outpace capacity expansion. Prices for other consumer memory and niche memory are also rising far beyond conventional levels due to factors like capacity squeeze and downstream panic stockpiling. Multiple segments of the domestic memory industry chain are expected to benefit from the shortage and price increase wave this year, with core recommendations focusing on memory manufacturers, memory module/chip companies, and memory packaging/testing/OEM links.
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