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SK Hynix has crossed the $1 trillion valuation mark as investor interest in AI chip companies continue to rise globally. The company’s market surge highlights how AI is reshaping global semiconductor industry and investor sentiment. Tech companies remain confident about their artificial intelligence investments and monetization opportunities amid growing competition.
Shares of SK Hynix jumped as much as 11% on Wednesday (May 27, 2026), lifting the South Korean chipmaker’s market capitalization above $1 trillion. SK Hynix shares have skyrocketed about 250% since the start of 2026. It is fueled by surging demand for high-bandwidth memory chips used in AI servers and accelerators.
The company has emerged as a key supplier to AI chip giant Nvidia. This has cemented its position at the center of the global AI supply chain. SK Hynix pared gains to close 9.21% higher, while Samsung Electronics ended up 2.68%.
This latest rally comes just weeks after the tech firm’s domestic rival Samsung Electronics also crossed the $1 trillion market capitalization mark. The two chipmakers account for more than 40% of South Korea’s benchmark Kospi. This market scenario shows how closely the index’s performance is linked to global demand for AI-related semiconductors and memory chips. The Kospi index has nearly doubled since the start of 2026, according to data from LSEG.
“SK Hynix’s rally may still have room to run,” according to Peter Kim, global investment strategist at KB Financial Group. He highlighted that earnings upgrades are outpacing even the stock’s meteoric gains.
“Fundamentals and valuations of the two twin towers … are still very much intact,” Kim said, referring to SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics.
He said that SK Hynix’s valuation has become “cheaper” as analysts have raised earnings forecasts faster than share prices have increased.
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Analysts have warned that the concentration could heighten market volatility and leave the benchmark more exposed to risks, including supply chain disruptions and a slowdown in global data center investment.
May has become a month of trillion-dollar milestones for memory chip giants, as soaring demand has tightened supply and created a key bottleneck in the AI trade. SK Hynix, Micron, and Samsung have become major beneficiaries of the AI boom as demand for High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) chips has surged alongside AI training and inference workloads.
The $1 trillion club may expand further as tech companies increase spending on AI data centres and build necessary infrastructure to support these services. Investment in AI is projected to grow at a fast pace through 2027. Wall Street analysts have estimated that the total spending could reach $1 trillion.
