Seoul, July 20 -- SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won warned that the global shortage of artificial intelligence memory chips could escalate into a geopolitical issue, predicting that memory demand will far outpace supply through 2027 despite aggressive capacity expansion efforts.

Speaking at a press briefing on the sidelines of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Jeju Forum, Chey stated that foreign governments have already begun intervening on behalf of their domestic industries to secure critical chip supplies, according to a news report by The Korea Herald.

Chey noted that major customers asked SK hynix for 60 to 100 per cent more AI memory in 2027 compared to current levels. With artificial intelligence accounting for over half...