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Samsung Electronics became the first South Korean company to reach a $1 trillion market capitalization on Thursday, as strong gains in semiconductor stocks pushed Asian equity markets to new highs.
Samsung shares rose 7.13% to close at 218,000 won. The Kospi advanced 3.67% to 6,307.32, extending a sharp rally in Korean equities. The move reflects strong investor demand for AI-linked chipmakers and hardware companies.
NVIDIA’s latest earnings release helped drive sentiment across the sector. The company reported quarterly revenue of $68.1 billion, up 73% from a year earlier, and projected $78 billion in revenue for the current quarter.
Those figures strengthened expectations for continued spending on AI infrastructure. As a result, investors increased buying in upstream semiconductor suppliers across Asia, including major memory and components producers.
Samsung’s rise above the $1 trillion valuation mark represents a historic first for a Korean listed company. The stock’s gain also supported another strong session for the broader market, with chipmakers leading the advance. SK Hynix also posted a strong increase, reinforcing momentum in AI-related names and adding to the Kospi’s rapid climb.
The milestone highlights Samsung’s central role in the global semiconductor supply chain. Investors continue to focus on memory demand, AI server growth, and chip pricing trends. Samsung’s valuation gain also shows how market participants now place greater weight on companies tied to AI hardware expansion. This theme has remained a key driver of equity performance across Asia in 2026.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 crossed 59,000 for the first time intraday on Thursday, while the Topix also reached a record high. Technology shares helped lead the move, but policy expectations also played an important role. Investors reacted to a softer outlook for near-term Bank of Japan rate increases, which supported risk appetite and helped lift large-cap stocks.
A weaker yen outlook added support for export-oriented companies and major technology firms. At the same time, trading within Japanese chip stocks remained mixed as investors reviewed company-level details after Nvidia’s earnings. Even so, the broader market held firm, and benchmark indexes remained near their highs through the session.
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The latest records in South Korea and Japan reflect a wider shift in market leadership this year. Asian indexes have outperformed many US benchmarks as investors favor semiconductor producers and hardware companies linked to AI spending. Samsung’s move above $1 trillion has become one of the clearest signs of that trend.
At the same time, concentration risk remains a factor for regional markets. A small group of large chip stocks now accounts for a significant share of index performance in South Korea and other Asian markets.
That structure can accelerate gains during strong rallies, but it can also increase volatility if sentiment changes. For now, strong AI demand and supportive policy expectations continue to anchor investor confidence.
