CXMT, China's largest DRAM maker, left Korea off a global corporations introduction map published on its website. With the company having chased Samsung Electronics and SK hynix under full-throated support from the Chinese government, some in the industry say the "Korean Peninsula blank" map is a symbolic move reflecting China's "semiconductor rise" and its ambition to replace Korea.
According to CXMT's website on the 29th, the About CXMT page features a map image that shows spheres of influence in concentric circles centered on China. The image shows mainland China and the Japanese archipelago, but Korea, home to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, which divide up the global memory chip market, is not identifiable.
A look at the CXMT website shows a graphic with blue concentric circles radiating in all directions from the China headquarters location. In the process, the shape of the Japanese archipelago to the east is depicted relatively clearly, while the Korean Peninsula, which should sit right next to mainland China, is erased entirely and rendered in a background color similar to the sea. Compared with Japan or other distant regions shown distinctly, only Korea—the world's biggest memory semiconductor powerhouse—has been artificially omitted.
Many in the industry say it is hard to see this as a mere graphic error or minor mishap. China has shown strong political sensitivity about map labeling. In fact, authorities have strictly policed foreign corporations' website maps in the past, ordering corrections and imposing fines when depictions of Chinese territory did not meet standards. Given this China-specific culture regarding maps, there is ample room to interpret CXMT—China's leading player in its semiconductor rise—erasing Korea from its website map as a result imbued with clear intent.
CXMT, founded in 2016, is China's leading DRAM manufacturer. Buoyed by full support from the Chinese government, the company rapidly broadened its lineup from PC DRAM (DDR4, DDR5) to mobile DRAM for smartphones (LPDDR5, LPDDR5X), building scale in China's domestic market and the commodity chip market. In particular, as global leaders such as Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Micron have recently focused their capabilities on high-value AI memory—high bandwidth memory (HBM)—and cutting-edge process nodes, reducing production of general-purpose (legacy) DRAM, CXMT has filled that gap and seized a path for independent growth. It is also accelerating its chase of Korea by making large-scale investments in HBM development.
Furthermore, the company has recently moved to formalize an initial public offering on China's stock market to raise funds for capacity expansion and next-generation memory research and development, seeking to secure several billion dollars in pre-IPO financing. Given the Chinese semiconductor industry's push to localize across servers, AI and mobile following tighter U.S. controls on China-bound chips, CXMT's aggressive expansion ahead of entering capital markets is expected to become a new variable that could shake up the global memory supply chain.
In fact, CXMT has long been on the domestic industry's watchlist for hiring talent from Samsung Electronics and SK hynix and for controversies over technology acquisition. A semiconductor industry official said, "Chinese memory corporations have recently been accelerating the buildout of a home-centered supply chain with massive fundraising," adding, "Given that they have set Korea as a replacement target, this map presentation is not a mere design mistake but a warning aimed at Korea's memory industry."