[News] Samsung, SK hynix 1H26 Chip Facility Investment Up 35%; NVIDIA Not Among Samsung’s Top Five Customers

Samsung and SK hynix are accelerating semiconductor investment as AI demand drives capacity expansion and advanced-process upgrades. According to Etoday, citing the companies’ 2026 semi-annual reports, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix invested a combined KRW 43.198 trillion in semiconductor facilities in 1H26, up 35.1% YoY from KRW 31.9751 trillion. Samsung invested KRW 25.603 trillion in its Device Solutions (DS) division, up 23.5%, focusing on next-generation memory technologies, advanced-process capacity expansion and infrastructure.

SK hynix’s facility investment reached KRW 17.595 trillion, up 56.4% YoY, as it stepped up spending to meet growing AI memory demand for HBM, high-capacity DRAM, and enterprise SSDs (eSSDs). Etoday also notes that production facilities at both companies were effectively running at full capacity, with Samsung’s DS memory lines and SK hynix both recording 100% utilization in 1H26.

Industry observers say the surge in AI memory demand is prompting both companies to accelerate advanced-process transitions and capacity expansion. The investments are seen as proactive moves not only to meet current demand but also to prepare for future HBM generations and growth in the high-capacity server memory market.

R&D spending also rose sharply in 1H26. According to Etoday, Samsung Electronics’ company-wide R&D spending reached KRW 27.363 trillion, up 51.5% YoY and marking a record high for a six-month period, though the company did not separately disclose spending for its DS division. SK hynix, meanwhile, nearly doubled its R&D investment to KRW 6.043 trillion, up 98.4% YoY and equivalent to roughly 90% of its full-year 2025 R&D spending.

Competition among memory makers is also expanding beyond capacity and product development toward the broader AI technology ecosystem. According to Maeil Business Newspaper, Micron recently launched its US$250 million Micron Ventures Paradigm Fund, its largest venture fund to date, targeting AI model architectures, computing, enterprise applications, and physical AI. The fund is aimed at identifying future memory and storage requirements early and building partnerships that could support next-generation product development.

Customer Mix Shifts as AI Chip Competition Expands

Another key takeaway from the two companies’ semi-annual reports is the shifting customer mix. According to Seoul Economic Daily, SK hynix generated KRW 17.6087 trillion from NVIDIA in 1H26, accounting for 13.35% of total revenue, down from NVIDIA’s 24% share of full-year revenue in 2025. The report attributes the decline to greater customer diversification toward Big Tech companies developing their own AI chips (ASICs). However, NVIDIA’s share could rebound somewhat in 2H26 as SK hynix ramps HBM4 supply alongside the launch of NVIDIA’s Vera Rubin platform.

Meanwhile, M Today notes that NVIDIA, a key customer Samsung Electronics has been seeking to expand business with, was absent from its major customer list in 1H26. According to Samsung’s 2026 semi-annual report cited by M Today, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Hong Kong Techtronics, and Supreme Electronics were its five major customers, together accounting for approximately 25% of total revenue. While Samsung’s HBM cooperation with NVIDIA remains closely watched, Alphabet, Amazon, and Apple currently represent a larger share of its actual revenue.

Read more

• [News] Samsung, SK hynix’s HBM4 Push Puts HBM, General Memory Pricing in the Spotlight for 2H Earnings
• [News] SK hynix Reportedly Restarts Dalian Fab 2, Targets 1H27 Mass Production and 50% China NAND Capacity Boost

(Photo credit: SK hynix)