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Samsung has reached a staggering $1 trillion valuation, joining TSMC in the elite club as strong semiconductor demand, innovation, and global tech growth continue to drive its market performance and investor confidence.
Samsung Electronics Co.’s market valuation topped $1 trillion after shares of the world’s largest memory chip maker more than quadrupled over the past year. The increase in valuation is driven by the growing demand for the chips used in artificial intelligence.
The milestone came as the South Korean company’s shares rallied 14% on Wednesday (May 6, 2026), making it only the second Asian firm after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to hit the mark. Samsung’s gain also boosted the Kospi benchmark by more than 6%, driving it above the 7,000 level for the first time.
That shift has fueled a powerful rally in regional tech stocks. SK Hynix and TSMC have also reached record highs, as investors bet on sustained demand for advanced chips and computing capacity.
Just days ago, Samsung’s semiconductor arm brought in historic profit over the March quarter, beating expectations with a 48-fold jump as AI data center orders delivered hefty margins. Analysts expect the division to build on its record-breaking profit over the next several quarters as contract prices continue their steep upward trajectory amid limited supply.
Foreigners are likely driving the latest rally, with local media citing a deal between Interactive Brokers and Samsung Securities allowing US investors direct access to purchase Korean stocks. Global investors bought a net 3.1 trillion won ($2.1 billion) worth of Kospi shares on Wednesday.
“Corporate earnings in aggregate keep getting stronger and it’s mainly coming from one place — from the technology sector,” said Mark Davids, APAC head of the emerging markets and Asia Pacific equities team at JPMorgan Asset Management. Samsung’s profits reflect a “very unusual period where these companies can achieve outsized profits,” he said.
Samsung is also facing some challenges. The chip unit’s earnings growth contrasts with declines in Samsung’s mobile and display operations, which are facing rising material and component prices. The profits generated by the AI boom are also prompting Samsung employees to demand a bigger share, with workers threatening an 18-day general strike later this month.
Also Read: Apple Eyes Intel, Samsung to Break TSMC Reliance as Taiwan Tensions Rise
Samsung, alongside memory peer SK Hynix Inc. and TSMC, sits at the heart of a transformation that has made Asia a cornerstone of the global AI ecosystem, pairing chipmaking dominance with expanding data infrastructure.
“The trillion-dollar threshold carries material weight beyond the symbolism,” said Dave Mazza, chief executive officer at Roundhill Investments in New York. “More broadly, it reflects a market judgment that memory’s role in the AI infrastructure stack is structural, not cyclical.”
Apple Inc. has held exploratory discussions about using Samsung to produce the main processors for its devices in the US, a move that would offer a secondary option beyond longtime partner TSMC.
“If investors do some work on Samsung Electronics we think they will conclude that the investment opportunity is attractive even if they have missed its performance up until now,” said Sam Konrad, investment manager at Jupiter Asset Management.
He further explained that the memory market is currently undersupplied, and Samsung has also stated that 2027 will see tighter supply and demand than 2026, so prices for NAND and DRAM are likely to continue rising.
