Samsung, SK Hynix Prepare Major Chip Supply Deals With US Firms

South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are preparing to announce large memory chip supply deals with US technology firms during President Lee Jae Myung's July 24-25 San Francisco visit, reflecting intensifying competition to secure AI-driven chip supply chains. The development reinforces global pressure on semiconductor diversification, a trend from which Mexico is seeking to benefit through its own legacy-node manufacturing and industrial clusters.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are set to announce large-scale memory chip supply agreements with US technology companies during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's visit to San Francisco on July 24-25, presidential policy adviser Kim Yong-beom told reporters in Seoul on Thursday. The announcements, expected to include long-term memory chip contracts and AI data center investments, arrive as global technology companies compete for secure, high-volume chip supply chains. The value of the deals has not been disclosed.  

Kim characterized the scale of the upcoming announcements as historic, saying, "We expect a lot of very large and meaningful figures to be announced." The presidential adviser said the agreements would reinforce technology and economic ties between South Korea and the United States, framing Lee's visit as a catalyst that helped conclude negotiations already underway between South Korean manufacturers and their US counterparts.  Kim added that expansion plans at Samsung and SK Hynix facilities in South Korea are being driven by strong demand from American technology firms, which account for 80% to 90% of underlying chip orders, rather than by direct requests from Washington for additional US-based manufacturing.  

The announcements reflect the intensifying global race to secure memory chip supply for AI infrastructure, a race that is reshaping investment decisions across the semiconductor value chain, including in North America. Earlier this month, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urged Samsung and SK Hynix to expand memory chip production within the United States, part of a broader push by Washington to diversify chip manufacturing away from concentrated hubs in Asia. 

For Mexico, the episode underscores how deeply supply chain security and chip capacity have become tied to great-power technology competition, a dynamic the country is positioning itself to benefit from. Mexico has advanced its own semiconductor ambitions through projects such as QSM Semiconductors' legacy node chip plant in Queretaro, which is expected to begin operations in September and represents the country's first step toward domestic chip manufacturing capacity for critical sectors including automotive, medical devices and telecommunications.  

At the San Francisco summit, Lee is expected to deliver a policy address described by his office as a "San Francisco AI Declaration," outlining South Korea's ambition to become a reliable supplier of AI infrastructure while expanding domestic AI adoption. The trip continues on to South America, where Lee will attend additional regional summits, extending Seoul's diplomatic and commercial outreach beyond its core US relationship.

The Samsung and SK Hynix announcements come amid record global investment flows into memory chips, driven largely by demand for high-bandwidth memory used in AI accelerators from companies such as Nvidia. That demand has also fueled record foreign direct investment (FDI) into North American manufacturing hubs, including Mexico, which recorded US$23.591 billion in FDI during the first quarter of 2026, a 10.4% increase over the same period in 2025, with electronics and advanced technology among the sectors capturing a growing share of that capital.