Nvidia Corp supplier SK Hynix briefly surpassed Samsung Electronics to become South Korea’s most valuable listed company on Monday, driven by surging demand for advanced memory chips used in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Shares of SK Hynix surged 5.7% during trading, lifting the company’s market capitalization to about 2,082.5 trillion won, narrowly edging past Samsung Electronics at 2,081.3 trillion won. This milestone marked a historic shift in South Korea’s corporate hierarchy, with Samsung having held the top spot since 2000.

AI Memory Chip Demand Propels Growth

The rally comes as demand for advanced memory chips continues to soar amid massive investments in AI infrastructure by major U.S. technology companies. SK Hynix has emerged as a primary beneficiary of this trend due to its leadership in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, which are essential components in AI accelerators. At the time of writing, SK Hynix stock was trading 4.7% higher at KRW 2,894,000 in Seoul, while Samsung shares were up 0.14% at KRW 354,500.

Market Performance and Valuation

South Korean memory chipmakers have reported record profits as the rapid buildout of AI data centers has tightened supply and pushed memory prices higher. Investor enthusiasm has been particularly strong for SK Hynix, whose shares have climbed more than 327% year-to-date. In comparison, Samsung Electronics stock has gained roughly 175% over the same period. The following table highlights the comparative market metrics for the two companies.

Semiconductor Industry Shift

In May, SK Hynix joined Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology in surpassing the $1 trillion market value threshold, reflecting investor confidence that AI-related spending will continue driving semiconductor demand. The latest jump reinforces SK Hynix’s growing importance in the AI supply chain as a key supplier of advanced memory products used alongside graphics processing units powering generative AI applications. At the time of writing, SK Hynix had an intraday market capitalization of approximately KRW 2,061.4 trillion, compared with Samsung Electronics’ KRW 2,324.6 trillion.

SK hynix Inc. announced on June 17, 2026, that it has shipped samples of its 12-layer HBM4E, a next-generation DRAM designed for artificial intelligence applications, to major customers. The new memory product achieves a maximum data processing speed of 16Gbps per pin and offers power efficiency improvements of more than 20% compared to previous models. These advancements are intended to enhance data processing capabilities for AI training and inference tasks.

The company utilized its Advanced Mass Reflow Molded Underfill (MR-MUF) technology to achieve a 48GB capacity within the 12-layer stack while ensuring structural stability. This manufacturing process involves injecting liquid protective materials between chips to protect circuits. Additionally, the HBM4E improves heat resistance by 17% compared to the preceding HBM4, enabling stable operation in high-performance computing environments.

Key Specifications and Improvements

The HBM4E reduces data transfer latency through its latest interface and design optimization. This allows customers to increase efficiency when processing data for AI data centers and large-scale computing systems. The following table summarizes the key specifications of the new product:

SK hynix has successfully supplied optimized memory solutions based on its expertise in the mass production of HBM3, HBM3E, and HBM4. The company aims to support the development of next-generation infrastructure and address AI system bottlenecks through these new offerings.

Strategic Leadership and Future Plans

"SK hynix has laid the foundation to strengthen its AI leadership with HBM4E based on its market-leading technological capabilities and manufacturing expertise," said Ahn Hyun, President and Chief Development Officer. He added that the company will deliver value needed in the market while reinforcing its position as a full-stack AI memory creator through close collaboration with partners. The company confirmed that it delivered the samples on schedule and plans to work closely with partners for timely mass production.