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SK Hynix Inc. became the second South Korean company to surpass a $1 trillion market valuation on Wednesday, as booming artificial intelligence demand continued to drive investor confidence in global semiconductor stocks. The South Korean memory chip giant saw its shares surge nearly 11% to a record 2.28 million won, pushing its market capitalization to approximately 1,624 trillion won, or $1.08 trillion.
The achievement places SK Hynix alongside Samsung Electronics as the only South Korean companies to enter the trillion-dollar market cap club. The rally also follows a major milestone for U.S.-based Micron Technology, which recently crossed the $1 trillion valuation mark amid strong momentum in AI-related semiconductor stocks.
Investor enthusiasm surrounding AI infrastructure and advanced memory chip demand has significantly boosted leading chipmakers over the past two years. SK Hynix has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries due to its dominance in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) production, a critical component used in advanced AI processors and data centers. The company, along with Samsung Electronics, supplies cutting-edge memory chips to Nvidia and other leading AI technology firms.
The rapid expansion of the artificial intelligence industry has tightened global memory chip supplies, resulting in higher chip prices and stronger earnings expectations for major manufacturers. Analysts expect demand for AI servers and generative AI applications to continue supporting the semiconductor sector throughout 2026.
SK Hynix shares have gained more than 235% so far in 2026 after already recording a massive rally in 2025. Samsung Electronics also posted strong gains on Wednesday, helping lift South Korea’s KOSPI index more than 4% to a fresh record high.
With this latest milestone, SK Hynix becomes the third Asian company to reach a trillion-dollar valuation, joining Samsung Electronics and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which remains Asia’s most valuable company with a market capitalization exceeding $2 trillion.
