Storage market sees price hikes: Tight supply of DRAM and NAND, AI demand drives industry chain expansion.

，据韩媒报道，对于被指定为半导体产业集群的地区，韩国政府将使用国家财政资金，最高承担建设电力、水资源等基础设施所需的全部费用。该细则明确了《半导体特别法》授权制定的相关事项，具体包括：加强半导体产业竞争力特别委员会的组成与运营方式；半导体产业集群的指定程序及相关支持措施；半导体产业人才培养支持；加强半导体产业竞争力特别账户的管理与运营。根据规定，建设和运营半导体产业集群所需的工业基础设施，其相关费用可由中央政府和地方政府承担，承担比例最低为项目总成本的 50%，最高可达到 100%。此外，政府还可以优先支持非首都圈半导体企业的人才招聘匹配，以及地方专业人才培养和转岗培训等项目。

Global credit rating agency Moody’s has for the first time upgraded SK Hynix’s credit rating to the A range, reflecting the chipmaker’s enhanced competitiveness in the AI storage market, as well as improvements in its profitability and cash generation capabilities. The day before, Moody’s raised SK Hynix’s long-term issuer rating and senior unsecured bond rating by one notch, from Baa1 to A3, with a stable rating outlook. This marks the first time SK Hynix has obtained an A-level rating from Moody’s since it was acquired by SK Group in 2012, and it is also the first of the three major international credit rating agencies to assign an A-level rating to SK Hynix. Currently, both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings assign SK Hynix a rating of BBB+, with S&P holding a positive outlook and Fitch a stable outlook. Moody’s forecasts that SK Hynix will maintain strong profitability and cash generation capabilities over the next 12 to 18 months, with its financial position set to improve further. Moody’s noted that the company has built up sufficient cash reserves, strengthening its ability to withstand downside risks from the semiconductor cycle.

CNN published an analysis stating that U.S. President Donald Trump has not yet taken the biggest risk in the Iran conflict: escalating the war to an uncontrollable scale. But as the diplomatic deadlock drags on, Trump is facing three options: further escalation, expanding military operations, or withdrawing from the conflict. The report notes that after Iran refused to hold further talks, Trump recently issued another stern warning, saying Iran’s leadership faces a "last chance." However, analysts argue that simply expanding airstrikes will not necessarily force Iran to back down; instead, it could prompt Iran to target infrastructure of U.S. allies in the Gulf region, escalating regional conflict. Currently, the U.S. is still limiting the scope of its military operations, targeting primarily military sites. Further strikes on civilian infrastructure such as energy facilities and power grids, or even ground operations, could push the conflict into a higher-risk phase. CNN points out that history—including the Vietnam War, Iraq War, and Afghanistan War—shows that leaders often escalate conflicts to avoid defeat or protect their reputation, ultimately falling into a "no-win, no-exit" trap. Analysts note that Trump won the 2016 election by campaigning against "endless wars," and the Iran conflict will now be a key test of his political legacy. With the U.S. midterm elections approaching, further escalation could carry higher political costs. Trump is currently balancing diplomatic and military pressure, and the ultimate trajectory of the Iran conflict will impact his presidential tenure evaluation and the U.S. Middle East strategy.

Whale 0x2e80 withdrew another 19,000 $ETH ($35.44M) from #Gemini and staked it. Over the past 3 weeks, the whale has withdrawn a total of 112,000 $ETH ($208M) from #Gemini and staked it.

According to Lookonchain monitoring, whale address 0x2e80 has once again withdrawn 19,000 ETH (valued at approximately $35.44 million) from Gemini, and subsequently staked the entire amount. Over the past three weeks, the address has cumulatively withdrawn 112,000 ETH from Gemini, totaling around $208 million, all of which has been allocated to staking.

According to Serenity, citing Digitimes industry chain sources, SK Hynix, Micron (MU), and Samsung Electronics have fully sold out their 2027 DRAM and HBM production capacities, with customers currently able to secure only about 60% to 70% of their initial demand. Serenity stated that current storage supply tightness exceeds market expectations, and 2027 may enter the "most severe storage shortage phase." Meanwhile, SanDisk (SNDK), Samsung Electronics, and Micron’s annual NAND production capacities have also been booked, while Kioxia and SK Hynix are expected to complete capacity allocation by August 2026. Serenity pointed out that although some market views previously predicted a storage oversupply around mid-2027, based on current industry chain conditions, major storage manufacturers have sold out their capacities in advance, keeping supply-demand relations tight. It is learned that capacity allocation quotas between manufacturers and customers have now been basically finalized, but final product prices will still be determined based on market conditions near delivery. The continuous development of AI infrastructure is driving demand for HBM and high-end DRAM, which is likely to remain a key factor in future storage supply tightness.