South Korea: the most underrated partner

Korea is overshadowed by Taiwan in European technology discussion, but its significance is comparable. SK hynix holds 53–62 % of the world HBM market — the memory without which AI models cannot be trained. Samsung manufactures both advanced logic (3 nm GAA) and memory.

The industrial footprint in Europe is already deep:

• Hyundai/Kia has substantial production capacity in Czechia and Slovakia
• Samsung SDI manufactures batteries in Hungary
• KHNP is building new units at the Dukovany nuclear plant in Czechia, signed in 2025

The Korea-EU Digital Partnership (2023) provides the framework — but the investment chapter is missing.

Realistic direction: convert the partnership into an investment platform, where Korea builds HBM production or advanced packaging in the EU in exchange for access to the European market and a regulatorily stable environment. The negotiating leverage on the European side is real: Korean manufacturers need diversification away from concentration risk in Northeast Asia, and EU-located capacity is geopolitically attractive for them as well.

The first concrete test would be a memorandum of understanding with Samsung Foundry or SK hynix on a pilot fabrication or packaging investment in the EU by end of 2027. Given the long lead time of fab construction (4–5 years from MOU to operational), missing this window means waiting until 2031+.