SK Hynix, a major global producer of memory chips, is expanding business valuation through AI boom.
Just weeks after Samsung Electronics hit the milestone, the chip manufacturing company is on the verge of topping a $1 trillion market value, as strong demand for artificial intelligence puts South Korea at the center of Asia’s AI boom.
Shares of Samsung rival SK Hynix have surged more than 200% this year, following a surprise surge of 274% in 2025, driven by AI-related demand for both traditional memory chips and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in AI servers.
Valued at less than $100 billion just 16 months ago, SK Hynix’s market capitalization stood at about $94.2 billion at the close of trading on Thursday.
If SK Hynix reaches the milestone, South Korea will become the first country outside the United States with a company worth more than a trillion dollars. Taiwan’s TSMC remains Asia’s largest company with a market value of more than $1.83 trillion.
The three chip makers and their record earnings have spotlighted their important role in the global AI supply chain, unlike Silicon Valley companies, whose heavy spending on chips and technology makes them risky bets.
SK Hynix shares closed down 0.3% on Thursday, while the broader KOSPI rose 1.75% to 7,981.41. The index has declined more than 86% this year after rising 75% to 2025 in its strongest annual performance since 1999.
KB Securities raised its year-end target for the KOSPI, the world’s best-performing major stock market since the start of 2025, by 40% to 10,500 points.
“My theory is that the market is running on FOMO sentiment, particularly on AI-related names in Japan and Korea,” said Fabian Yip, market analyst at IG in Sydney, referring to investors’ “fear of missing out” on potential returns.
