scmp.com web signal

South Korea's President Lee Unveils $576B 'Triple Axis' National Strategy — Semiconductors, Physical AI, and Data Centres — With Samsung and SK Hynix Chairs at Briefing

samsung chips ai infrastructure ai-infrastructure chips geopolitics

Summary

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung unveiled a $576 billion 'triple axis' investment plan spanning semiconductors, physical AI, and AI data centres, with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won present at the presidential briefing. A new fabrication hub is planned for South Korea's southwestern Gwangju and South Jeolla provinces — a geographic expansion designed to simultaneously advance chip ambitions and reduce regional economic inequality. The SCMP, citing multiple sources, frames this as Lee's 'boldest push yet,' distinguished from prior Samsung/SK Hynix memory-fab announcements by its inclusion of physical AI and data-centre scope in one national package.