Memory makers brace for hydrogen fluoride pricing shock as Hormuz blockade hits supply chain; key etching and cleaning material faces sharp cost increase amid trade disruption

War-related disruptions and tighter exports are squeezing supplies of sulfur-based inputs, driving up anhydrous hydrogen fluoride prices in China.

South Korean chemical suppliers are now paying more for the key semiconductor material, and the cost increase is expected to reach chip makers within weeks.

Because anhydrous hydrogen fluoride is used in wafer etching and cleaning, the shock could raise memory and storage production costs globally, including for Samsung and SK Hynix.