Prime Highlights
- SK Hynix shares have surged over 200% this year, following a 274% rise in 2025, entirely driven by booming AI chip demand.
- If SK Hynix crosses $1 trillion, South Korea will be the first country outside the US with more than one trillion-dollar company.
Key Facts
- SK Hynix is a South Korean semiconductor company specialising in memory and high-bandwidth memory chips widely used in AI servers worldwide.
- South Korea’s KOSPI index has risen over 86% this year and has been the best-performing major stock market in the world since the start of 2025.
Background
SK Hynix is close to hitting a $1 trillion market value. The South Korean chipmaker is riding a wave of strong demand for artificial intelligence chips, putting it just steps behind Samsung Electronics, which crossed the trillion-dollar mark earlier this month.
If SK Hynix crosses the threshold, South Korea will become the first country outside the United States to have more than one trillion-dollar company.
SK Hynix shares have jumped over 200% this year alone. That follows a massive 274% rise in 2025, driven by demand for conventional memory chips and high-bandwidth memory chips used in AI servers. The company’s market cap stood at around $948 billion based on recent figures.
Just 16 months ago, SK Hynix was worth less than $100 billion. It is now approaching the market values of Walmart and Berkshire Hathaway.
South Korea’s main stock index, the KOSPI, has also surged. It is up more than 86% this year, after gaining 75% in 2025, its best annual performance since 1999. The KOSPI has been the world’s best-performing major stock market since the beginning of 2025. Foreign investors have poured money into Korean chipmakers, pushing the index to record highs.
A market analyst at IG in Sydney noted that investor sentiment is being driven heavily by fear of missing out, particularly around AI-linked stocks in Japan and South Korea.
Samsung, SK Hynix, and Taiwan’s TSMC are all seen as critical players in the global AI supply chain.
