Both Taiwan and South Korea face only the 10% Section 122 global surcharge, with no Section 301 exposure. The tariff rate is identical, making this comparison about supply chain strategy, supplier relationships, and product availability rather than duty optimization. Taiwan dominates logic semiconductors; South Korea dominates memory and displays.
Both Taiwan and South Korea face the same 10% effective duty rate. On a $100,000 BOM, both incur $10,000 in duty. The sourcing choice here is about product availability, lead times, and supplier relationships.
| Source | Duty Rate | Duty Amount | Landed Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taiwan | 10% | $10,000 | $110,000 |
| South Korea | 10% | $10,000 | $110,000 |
* Estimate for electronics HTS chapters 8541–8542. Actual duty depends on specific HTS code, MPF, HMF, and customs value.Calculate exact duty →
No. Samsung and SK Hynix primarily manufacture DRAM and NAND in South Korea, which is not subject to Section 301 tariffs. Only their China-assembled semiconductor products (e.g., some NAND assembled in Xi'an) would face the additional 50% Section 301 rate for 8541/8542 HTS codes.
High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) from SK Hynix and Samsung is essential for AI accelerators like NVIDIA H100/H200. HBM3 chips costing $3,000–8,000 per package face a 10% duty from South Korea (Korea origin). On a $100K purchase of HBM, that's $10K in duty — a significant cost for AI infrastructure builds.
No. Samsung Semiconductor uses its own fabs (Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, Taylor TX) and leases some capacity from GlobalFoundries. SK Hynix uses its own Korean fabs (Icheon, Cheongju, M15X). TSMC is a competitor in foundry, not a supplier to memory companies.
The 10% Section 122 surcharge is currently in effect and was largely upheld by the Supreme Court in 2026. The tariff landscape can change through executive action, legislation, or further court rulings. Both Taiwan and South Korea benefit from strong US trade relationships. Use TariffTracker for current rates.
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