▲AI PRISM* Customized Economic Briefing
*Editor's Note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an "AI-based personalized 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]
■ Power Semiconductors Rapidly Emerge as National Strategic Industry: The government will invest more than 500 billion won in government funding into next-generation power semiconductor R&D, and with private matching added, the total project scale is expected to grow to around 750 billion won. As compound-based next-generation power semiconductors such as SiC and GaN are assessed to be directly tied to the component competitiveness of key industries including AI data centers, electric vehicles, and defense, observers expect demand for related research and development personnel to expand as well.
■ AI Supply Chain Realignment, a Window of Opportunity for Samsung Electronics: As Google reviews Samsung Electronics' 2-nanometer process as a production partner for the memory I/O die of its 10th-generation TPU, cracks appear to be forming in TSMC's monopoly system. Analysts say that with the surge in AI chip demand, demand will rise for talent with comprehensive semiconductor capabilities spanning foundry, HBM, and advanced packaging.
■ Job Seekers' Financial Burden Grows Amid Cost-of-Living Pressure: While the combined monthly average spending on food and housing for a four-person household reached 1.99 million won, a sharp jump from a year earlier, the growth rate of overall household labor income stood at just 0.3%. Amid a structure in which inflation far outpaces labor income growth, observers point out that young people preparing for employment need to reexamine their household financial plans.
[News of Interest to University Students and Job Seekers]
1. "Power Semiconductors as the Second Memory"…Government Invests Over 500 Billion Won in R&D
- Key Summary: As part of its hyper-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 linked to demand companies. More than 500 billion won in government funding will be invested, and with private matching added, the total project scale could grow to around 750 billion won. SiC- and GaN-based next-generation power semiconductors are cited as key components across future industries, including reducing power loss in AI data centers, electric vehicle driving efficiency, and use in defense and robotics. As production infrastructure is expanded—including upgrading public fabs in the Busan specialized complex and utilizing demonstration infrastructure in Pohang and Naju—demand for specialized personnel is expected to grow rapidly across all fields spanning materials, devices, modules, and systems.
2. TSMC Bottleneck Reshapes AI Supply Chain…Wide-Ranging Cooperation with Google on 2nm and HBM
- Key Summary: Google is reviewing Samsung Electronics' 2-nanometer process as a production partner for the memory I/O die of its 10th-generation TPU, targeted for mass production in 2028. This is the result of big tech companies such as Apple and Google shifting to a multi-foundry strategy as TSMC's production capacity reaches its limit amid surging AI chip demand. Samsung Electronics is expanding its global customer base, securing Nvidia's LPU in succession after winning an order for Tesla's autonomous driving chips worth about 25 trillion won. As the competitiveness of its IDM turnkey solution—providing foundry, HBM, and advanced packaging in an integrated manner—comes to the fore, the industry assesses that hiring will expand in semiconductor design, process engineering, and packaging.
3. Anthropic Builds Its Own Servers…Lowering the Production Cost of Tokens First
- Key Summary: Anthropic, the developer of Claude, has signed at least 12 letters of intent to lease data centers totaling about 1GW with U.S. developers, embarking on building its own servers for the first time. The strategy is to break away from a structure dependent on hyperscalers such as AWS and Google, and to directly purchase and operate AI chips to lower computing costs over the long term. The surge in users of Claude Code and Claude Cowork served as the direct backdrop, as server bottlenecks and usage limits stemming from hyperscaler dependence emerged. With OpenAI also reportedly negotiating to lease a 10GW data center complex in Ohio, the internalization of infrastructure by AI companies appears to be establishing itself as an industry-wide trend.
- Key Summary: In the first quarter of this year, a four-person household's monthly average food spending was 1.42 million won, up 5.4% from a year earlier, while housing costs jumped 20.6% to 570,000 won, bringing combined spending on the two items to 1.99 million won. By contrast, the monthly average growth rate of labor income for all households stood at just 0.3%, far below the pace of increase in essential spending. Last month's consumer prices rose 3.1% from the same month a year earlier, marking the largest increase in two years and two months, while the number of employed people in May fell by 40,000 from a year earlier, turning to a decline for the first time in 17 months. Lee Eun-hee, a professor of consumer science at Inha University, analyzed that "in the second half, the impact of the high exchange rate will also join in, further increasing the burden of essential spending such as food and housing costs, and consumption capacity could shrink."
▶ Go to Article: Everything Rises Except Salaries…Just Eating and Sleeping for a Family of Four Costs 2 Million Won a Month
▶ Go to Article: Kookmin Bank Caps Credit Line Limits at 50 Million Won Across the Board…Banking Sector's Loan Tightening Begins in Earnest
▶ Go to Article: KOSPI Restarts Toward 10,000 on Relief Rally…Nomura Says "60% Chance of MSCI Inclusion"
