South Korea’s SSD Exports Reach $6.77 Billion as AI Demand Lifts Computer Shipments

South Korea’s September SSD exports rose 532.0% year on year to $6.77 billion, according to the trade ministry’s September report and secondary reporting. The surge reflects expanding AI infrastructure demand, higher memory prices and increased shipments of enterprise SSDs.

Key takeaways

• September SSD exports reached $6.77 billion, up 532.0% year on year, according to secondary reporting based on the trade ministry’s data.
• South Korea’s computer exports reached $7.0 billion, up 435.3%; SSDs therefore represented approximately 96.7% of computer exports by value.
• SSD export growth remained elevated in July, August and September at 500.2%, 479.5% and 532.0%, respectively.
• The ministry linked computer-export growth to agentic AI adoption and rising global demand for AI infrastructure.
• The official report shows 16Gb DDR5 fixed prices rising from $37.5 in May to $48.0 in September, while 128Gb NAND rose from $26.5 to $30.6.

South Korea’s SSD exports accelerated in September as demand from AI infrastructure continued to lift computer-related shipments. DealSite, citing the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s September 1 trade report, said SSD exports reached $6.77 billion, compared with $1.07 billion a year earlier, a 532.0% increase. At an exchange rate of KRW1,359 per U.S. dollar, the September value is approximately KRW9.2 trillion. The SSD breakout is reported by secondary media; the ministry’s public summary reports the broader computer category rather than a separate SSD line.

The ministry’s official report puts September computer exports at $7.0 billion, up 435.3% year on year. Because SSDs are included in the computer-export classification, the reported $6.77 billion SSD figure implies an SSD share of approximately 96.7% of computer exports by value. This is a derived ratio and should not be read as a separate official share estimate.

The growth has persisted through the third quarter. The ministry’s July ICT release reported SSD exports of $4.51 billion, up 500.2% year on year, while its August release reported $5.98 billion, up 479.5%. The September increase to 532.0% indicates that the acceleration continued despite monthly variation.

South Korea’s trade ministry attributed the broader computer-export increase to the spread of agentic AI and continued global demand for AI infrastructure. Reuters likewise reported that September computer exports rose 435.3% to $7.0 billion as semiconductor shipments more than tripled on AI-related spending. Enterprise SSDs are increasingly used to store large training and inference datasets, making storage demand a growing part of AI-system procurement.

Memory pricing has also moved higher. The ministry’s September report lists the fixed price for 16Gb DDR5 at $37.5 in May, $40.0 in June, $45.0 in July, $46.5 in August and $48.0 in September. The corresponding 128Gb NAND price increased from $26.5 to $30.6 over the same period. Export-value growth therefore reflects a combination of shipment expansion and higher component prices, rather than unit growth alone.

The market implication is that AI memory demand is broadening beyond HBM. SK hynix and industry reporting have identified high-performance, high-capacity enterprise SSDs as an expanding requirement for AI data centers, while Solidigm remains the group’s enterprise-SSD platform. For suppliers and procurement teams, the data point to stronger eSSD demand, tighter attention to NAND allocation and greater sensitivity to both component pricing and data-center deployment schedules.

Sources

• South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, September 2026 trade trends
• Korea Policy Briefing, September 2026 trade trends
• South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, July 2026 ICT trade trends
• South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, August 2026 ICT trade trends
• DealSite, October 2, 2026 — SSD export breakout and Solidigm context
• Reuters, October 1, 2026 — South Korea September exports and computer shipments

FAQ

How much did South Korea’s SSD exports grow in September 2026?

Secondary reporting based on the trade ministry’s data put SSD exports at $6.77 billion, up 532.0% year on year.

Why are Korean SSD exports rising so quickly?

The ministry linked computer-export growth to agentic AI adoption and global AI infrastructure demand. Higher memory prices also increased export value.

How large were computer exports?

Computer exports reached $7.0 billion in September, up 435.3% year on year. SSDs represented approximately 96.7% of that value based on the reported figures.

How did memory prices change between May and September?

The official report lists 16Gb DDR5 at $37.5 in May and $48.0 in September, while 128Gb NAND rose from $26.5 to $30.6.

Does the export increase represent only higher shipment volume?

No. The value increase reflects both shipment growth and higher memory prices, so it should not be interpreted as a pure unit-growth measure.