▲AI PRISM* Customized Economic Briefing
*Editor's Note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an "artificial intelligence (AI)-based customized news recommendation and summary service" developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six customized news items by reader type.
[Key Issue Briefing]
■ AI Supply Chain Realignment: As demand from global Big Tech firms such as Nvidia and Apple surges, bottlenecks have intensified at TSMC's advanced sub-3-nanometer processes. TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei directly acknowledged at the shareholders' meeting that "customer demand is so high that there are limits to handling it." In response, Google is reviewing a dual-track configuration that uses Samsung Electronics' (005930.KS) 2-nanometer process for production of its 10th-generation TPU (Tensor Processing Unit, a chip dedicated to AI computation). Samsung Electronics is rapidly expanding its customer base, following an order of approximately 25 trillion won for Tesla's self-driving chips.
■ AI Infrastructure Self-Reliance: Anthropic has, for the first time, moved to lease data centers, breaking away from its previous reliance on hyperscaler (large-scale data center operators) servers such as AWS and Google. As users of AI agents including Claude Code and Claude Cowork surged, server capacity hit its limits. The strategy is to lower the production cost of tokens (the basic unit by which AI processes text) by building its own servers.
■ SMR and Power Semiconductor Competition: As Japan decided to pour more than 10 trillion yen into SMR (small modular reactor) investments in the United States alone, the Korean government is also launching R&D worth more than 500 billion won in state funds to grow next-generation power semiconductors into a "second memory chip." The strategic value of power semiconductors has risen sharply amid expanding demand from AI data centers, electric vehicles, and power grids.
[News of Interest to Corporate CEOs]
- Key Summary: As surging AI chip demand pushes TSMC's production capacity to a critical point, global Big Tech firms are shifting to multi-foundry strategies. In its 10th-generation TPU project targeting mass production in 2028, Google plans to entrust core computation chips to TSMC's 1.4-nanometer process, while reviewing the use of Samsung Electronics' 2-nanometer process for the I/O die (a component connecting memory input and output) that links HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) and computation units. The discussions give Samsung Electronics an opportunity to prove the competitiveness of its IDM (integrated device manufacturer) turnkey solution, which integrates foundry, HBM, and advanced packaging. Korea Investment & Securities forecast that Samsung Electronics' non-memory business will enter a full-fledged turnaround phase, swinging to a profit in the fourth quarter of this year and recording quarterly operating profit of 731 billion won in the fourth quarter of 2027.
2. Anthropic Builds Own Servers… Lowering Token Production Costs First
- Key Summary: Anthropic, the developer of the AI model Claude, has reportedly signed at least 12 letters of intent for data center leases with U.S. developers in recent months. As users of AI agents including Claude Code and Claude Cowork surged, the limits of hyperscaler dependence became apparent, with the company taking measures such as usage restrictions due to server capacity shortages. This is interpreted as the trigger for its decision to build its own servers. To reduce financial burden, a method is also under review in which Google provides a payment guarantee for the lease on the condition of using Google TPUs. OpenAI, Anthropic's biggest rival, is also in negotiations to lease a 10GW data center complex in Ohio, with the race to secure proprietary infrastructure intensifying across the AI industry.
- Key Summary: Japan is expected to invest about 10 trillion yen (about 95 trillion won) in SMR construction out of its total U.S. investment of $550 billion (about 835 trillion won). Investments of up to $25 billion (about 38 trillion won) in U.S. SMR firm NuScale Power and up to $40 billion (about 60 trillion won) in SMR construction by GE Vernova and Hitachi are seen as likely, with Tennessee mentioned as a construction site. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said, "The United States wants to lead the world in SMR," unveiling a plan to build a joint U.S.-Japan SMR supply chain and export it to the world. However, criticism has emerged among Japanese companies that the government is pushing ahead before profitability reviews of the first investment have been completed.
- Key Summary: As part of its "Super Innovation Economy Project," the government will finalize a commercialization technology roadmap for next-generation power semiconductors this month and launch large-scale R&D planning. More than 500 billion won in state funds is expected to be invested, and including private-sector matching, the overall project scale could grow to around 750 billion won. Power semiconductors are key components that reduce power loss in AI data centers and improve electric vehicle driving efficiency. In particular, next-generation compound-based power semiconductors such as SiC (silicon carbide) and GaN (gallium nitride) outperform conventional silicon semiconductors in high-temperature, high-voltage, and high-frequency environments. The government also plans to support private companies' transition to mass production by upgrading the public fab (semiconductor production facility) at the Busan power semiconductor specialized complex and utilizing demonstration infrastructure in Pohang and Naju.
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