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Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix shares surged to record highs on Thursday after Nvidia reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings, reinforcing confidence in sustained artificial intelligence chip demand. The rally lifted South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI index more than 2%, pushing it to an all-time high as investors bet on continued growth in the global semiconductor sector.
Samsung Electronics rose over 5% to 217,500 won, while SK Hynix gained more than 2% to 1,053,500 won. Both companies are leading memory chip makers and key suppliers to Nvidia, the world’s most valuable semiconductor company. Nvidia’s latest earnings beat market forecasts and included upbeat guidance for the current quarter, signaling robust demand for advanced AI chips and data center solutions.
Strong AI-driven demand directly benefits Samsung and SK Hynix, which supply high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in Nvidia’s cutting-edge processors. Samsung is reportedly close to securing an exclusive agreement to provide advanced HBM chips for Nvidia’s next-generation Vera Rubin GPUs, a move that could further strengthen its position in the AI semiconductor market.
In addition to memory chips, Samsung recently introduced its Galaxy S26 smartphone series, highlighting its diversified revenue streams across consumer electronics and mobile devices. Meanwhile, SK Hynix announced a partnership with SanDisk to develop high bandwidth flash memory, a next-generation storage architecture expected to play a critical role in AI infrastructure and high-performance computing.
SK Hynix also revealed plans to invest 21.6 trillion won (approximately $15 billion) in a new production facility in Yongin, underlining its commitment to expanding semiconductor manufacturing capacity. An AI-driven supply shortage in the memory chip market has pushed prices higher through late 2025, and analysts expect this upward trend to continue, supporting further growth for Samsung, SK Hynix, and the broader AI chip industry.
