August data from ChipBook showed high bandwidth memory (HBM) exports from South Korea to Malaysia rose 467% year on year, totaling approximately $3 billion over two months. SemiAnalysis attributed this growth to Intel's advanced packaging capacity in Penang, noting about 50 back end job openings for the company in Malaysia. Shipments to Taiwan slowed in return, signaling a shift in customer trade flows.

Analyst Jukan05 disputed the Intel packaging theory, claiming that China is smuggling South Korean made HBM through Malaysia. The disagreement highlights uncertainty over whether the trade surge reflects a legitimate supply chain shift to Intel or a workaround for trade restrictions on AI memory shipments in the region.