SK Hynix shares climbed on Monday, surpassing Samsung Electronics to become South Korea’s most valuable company, fueled by a strong boost from the artificial intelligence-driven memory chip boom.
The stock rose 5.61 percent to over 2.8 million won, lifting its market capitalization to 2,082 trillion won ($1.35 trillion). In contrast, Samsung Electronics fell 1.4 percent to a valuation of 2,081 trillion won, excluding preferred shares, allowing SK Hynix to edge ahead.
SK Hynix has seen strong gains from surging demand for advanced memory chips driven by the artificial intelligence boom. Alongside rivals Samsung and Micron, it is one of the few key suppliers of high-bandwidth memory used in cutting-edge AI processors.
The company is also a major supplier to Nvidia and recently said it had delivered samples of its next-generation HBM4 memory to major customers.
SK Hynix shares have surged more than 340 percent so far this year, building on a strong rally in 2025.
The sharp rise marks a dramatic turnaround for the memory chip maker, which just two decades ago faced the prospect of bankruptcy and potential acquisition bids.
The milestone comes as artificial intelligence reshapes the global semiconductor industry, turning specialized memory chips from widely traded commodities into essential components of infrastructure powering applications such as ChatGPT and other advanced AI models.
SK Hynix primarily focuses on memory chips, while Samsung Electronics also produces logic chips alongside consumer electronics, including smartphones and televisions. Samsung Electronics had maintained the top position since 2000.
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SK Hynix’s pivotal position in the global AI ecosystem stems from its sustained investment in high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a specialized chip technology that stacks memory vertically to enable faster performance and improved power efficiency. The company continued to prioritize HBM development even during a broader downturn in the memory chip cycle.
Unlike traditional memory products, HBM chips are closely integrated with AI processors, resulting in higher barriers to entry and stronger pricing power for leading suppliers. By 2025, SK Hynix held a dominant 61 percent share of the global HBM market, compared with Samsung Electronics’ 17 percent and Micron’s 21 percent.
