SK Hynix rose sharply on Monday, surpassing Samsung Electronics to become the largest publicly traded company in South Korea by market capitalization. The memory chip specialist gained 3.7% to reach 2.8 million won per share, putting its market value at 2,082 trillion won, or about $1.3 trillion.
Samsung, by contrast, saw its market capitalization decline on the day. The electronics giant’s value fell 1.4% to 2,081 trillion won, excluding preferred shares, leaving it narrowly behind the memory chip maker.
Investors have been rewarding SK Hynix for its role supplying high-performance memory used in artificial intelligence systems. The company is among the very few major manufacturers that produce high-bandwidth memory (HBM) designed for advanced AI processors, a group that also includes Samsung and Micron. That constrained competitive set for HBM aligns with strong demand from AI compute builders.
SK Hynix is a major supplier to Nvidia and has stated that it supplied samples of advanced HBM4 memory to its largest customers. The company’s shares have rallied dramatically this year, trading up more than 340% so far, extending the gains it achieved after a strong 2025.
The surge in SK Hynix’s stock caps a long-running recovery for the firm. Only two decades ago it was confronting severe financial distress and exploring takeover options; the current market position represents a significant reversal from that period.
Market context
- SK Hynix’s market capitalization: 2,082 trillion won (~$1.3 trillion) after a 3.7% intraday rise to 2.8 million won per share.
- Samsung Electronics’ market capitalization: 2,081 trillion won after a 1.4% intraday decline, excluding preferred shares.
- SK Hynix’s year-to-date share performance: up more than 340%, following a strong 2025.
Implications
The move highlights the market’s valuation shift toward companies tied to AI infrastructure, particularly those producing advanced memory components that feed modern AI processors. The narrow set of suppliers for HBM elevates the strategic importance of those manufacturers within the semiconductor supply chain.