The global market for artificial intelligence chips used in data centers is projected to reach $860 billion by 2030, up from $124 billion in 2024, a South Korean state-run bank research institute has said.
The market is expected to expand at an average annual rate of 38 percent over the period as investment in AI infrastructure continues to increase, according to the outlook.
Nvidia still dominates
The outlook was included in an August 31 report by the Overseas Economic Research Institute at the Export-Import Bank of Korea on the data-center AI semiconductor market. It estimates that Nvidia held a 78.2 percent share of the market in 2025, followed by Google at 4.7 percent and Advanced Micro Devices at 4.1 percent. Intel accounted for 3.7 percent and Huawei for 2.6 percent.
The market remains concentrated among a small number of American and Chinese companies, but the institute said changes in AI workloads could create openings for other chipmakers.
The inference shift
Demand is expected to shift increasingly from training large AI models toward inference as AI services become more widely deployed. Graphics processing units remain the dominant technology in AI data centers but are relatively expensive and consume large amounts of power. Neural processing units, designed specifically for AI workloads, can offer lower costs and power consumption for inference — an area where Korean chip designers are seeking to expand.
Korean challengers enter the fray
South Korean AI chipmakers FuriosaAI and Rebellions are developing second-generation NPUs for data-center applications. FuriosaAI began mass production of its second-generation RNGD chip earlier this year, while Rebellions plans to launch its REBEL 100 chip in the second half.
However, the institute cautioned that Korean companies have developed competitive chip-design capabilities but still face gaps of more than three years against leading global companies in capital, commercialization experience and industry ecosystems.
The report called for measures to reduce the risks faced by companies adopting domestic AI chips, including tax incentives and subsidies, and recommended government support for Korean companies seeking overseas customers and supply-chain opportunities. It said the Middle East could offer one such market as countries in the region expand AI infrastructure while facing high GPU costs, power and land constraints and uncertainty over access to advanced chips.
Sources: https://www.ajupress.com/view/20260927093754537
The market is expected to expand at an average annual rate of 38 percent over the period as investment in AI infrastructure continues to increase, according to the outlook.
Nvidia still dominates
The outlook was included in an August 31 report by the Overseas Economic Research Institute at the Export-Import Bank of Korea on the data-center AI semiconductor market. It estimates that Nvidia held a 78.2 percent share of the market in 2025, followed by Google at 4.7 percent and Advanced Micro Devices at 4.1 percent. Intel accounted for 3.7 percent and Huawei for 2.6 percent.
The market remains concentrated among a small number of American and Chinese companies, but the institute said changes in AI workloads could create openings for other chipmakers.
The inference shift
Demand is expected to shift increasingly from training large AI models toward inference as AI services become more widely deployed. Graphics processing units remain the dominant technology in AI data centers but are relatively expensive and consume large amounts of power. Neural processing units, designed specifically for AI workloads, can offer lower costs and power consumption for inference — an area where Korean chip designers are seeking to expand.
Korean challengers enter the fray
South Korean AI chipmakers FuriosaAI and Rebellions are developing second-generation NPUs for data-center applications. FuriosaAI began mass production of its second-generation RNGD chip earlier this year, while Rebellions plans to launch its REBEL 100 chip in the second half.
However, the institute cautioned that Korean companies have developed competitive chip-design capabilities but still face gaps of more than three years against leading global companies in capital, commercialization experience and industry ecosystems.
The report called for measures to reduce the risks faced by companies adopting domestic AI chips, including tax incentives and subsidies, and recommended government support for Korean companies seeking overseas customers and supply-chain opportunities. It said the Middle East could offer one such market as countries in the region expand AI infrastructure while facing high GPU costs, power and land constraints and uncertainty over access to advanced chips.
Sources: https://www.ajupress.com/view/20260927093754537