Asia | 22 October 2026
The story in brief
South Korea has reported record sales of computer chips to other countries.
Growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) is helping increase sales. AI is technology that allows computers to perform tasks such as answering questions and recognising images.
Who is involved?
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South Korea: A country in eastern Asia that makes computer chips.
What happened?
On 21 October, South Korea reported a large increase in exports.
Exports are goods that a country sells to other countries.
During the first 20 days of October, the value of South Korea's exports more than doubled compared with the same days last year.
The value of computer chip exports more than tripled.
What is the background?
Computer chips are small electronic parts that help computers, phones and other devices work.
They are also important for AI technology.
Why does it matter?
Computer chips made up almost half the value of South Korea's exports during this period.
Companies around the world are spending more money on AI. This is a major reason for the increase in computer chip exports.
What happens next?
These figures cover only the first 20 days of October.
The final results for the whole month are not yet known.
Source: Reuters, 21 October 2026