Shares of memory chip maker Seagate fell sharply on May 18 (local time) amid worries it may not keep pace with memory demand from expanding investment in artificial intelligence (AI).

CNBC said Seagate shares fell more than 8 percent on the day, leading declines in memory semiconductor-related stocks.

The selling widened after comments by Seagate Chief Executive Dave Mosley (데이브 모슬리). Mosley, who attended a JP Morgan event, said of adding factories or equipment to expand production capacity, "Building a new factory or bringing in new equipment would take too long." He also mentioned that while capacity could be increased, the process could slow the pace of growth in current technology.

The market reaction spread across the memory sector. Micron shares fell 5 percent, while SanDisk and Western Digital each slipped about 7 percent. Memory stocks have risen in recent months on expectations of benefiting from data centre-led AI investment expansion, but questions about the pace of supply growth weighed more heavily on the day.

Memory semiconductors are one of the key components for building AI infrastructure. Demand has also jumped as data centre expansion and demand for high-performance computing (HPC) increase. Still, semiconductor production requires a long cycle spanning multiple quarters even for a single product. As a result, investors are reacting more sensitively to how long major memory makers can absorb surging demand.

Mosley also stressed the visibility of supply planning. "We know what products will come out a year from now," he said, adding that the company is aligning plans in advance with key customers. He said it is guiding data centre customers so they can purchase volumes for a period ahead, and that he wants to maintain 4 to 5 quarters of visibility very stably.

He also made clear that current demand is beyond that range. Citing a "very long lead time" in the memory supply chain, Mosley said maintaining customer predictability is important but actual demand is considerably higher. With a structure in which expanding supply takes time combined with a sharp rise in AI demand, the market is focusing more on production responsiveness than short-term results.

Moves to respond to volatility in semiconductor prices are also continuing. CME Group plans to launch a new futures market based on semiconductors. The step is intended to allow trading participants to fix prices or hedge the risk of higher computing costs. The sharp drop in memory stocks again underscored that supply constraints remain a key variable even during a phase of expanding AI investment.