[Chairman of SK Group: Demand for memory chips is expected to grow by at least 50% to 60% next year, and the supply-demand gap may further widen] BlockBeats News, July 19, according to South Korea's *Maeil Business Newspaper*, SK Group Chairman and President of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chey Tae-won stated that driven by the expansion of AI, demand for AI semiconductors is expected to grow by at least 60% to 100% next year compared to this year, while overall demand for memory chips is expected to increase by at least 50% to 60%. Chey Tae-won noted that the additional supply that companies can provide next year is very limited, and the supply-demand gap may further widen as global companies compete for memory chip supplies. He mentioned that current expansion plans are still insufficient to meet rapidly growing demand, and SK's current strategy is "build wherever possible." However, equipment, personnel, and construction timelines continue to constrain capacity expansion. He also pointed out that current memory chip prices have deviated from normal ranges, and PC and smartphone manufacturers cannot continue passing rising costs onto consumers. Semiconductor companies should not restrict supply to maintain high prices; even if profit margins decrease, they should expand production and grow the market. Otherwise, excessively high prices may attract new competitors and trigger government intervention in various countries. Chey Tae-won further stated that the AI industry is currently facing shortages in GPUs, memory, and power infrastructure, which may lead to new bottlenecks in the future. Regarding the possibility of SK Hynix's stock split, he said it has not been fully studied yet and requires a comprehensive evaluation of the adjustment mechanisms for local Korean stocks and U.S. depositary receipts. [Original link]