SK Hynix hits $1 trillion market cap on AI memory boom
Key takeaways
- At its intraday peak, the stock climbed 14.9% before pulling back, with the chipmaker's total market value hitting a record 1,680 trillion won — equivalent to roughly $1.12 trillion — according to Reuters.
- SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron now form the three dominant suppliers of high-bandwidth memory, sitting at the center of the global AI infrastructure buildout.
- Year to date, the three chipmakers have all posted extraordinary gains, with Micron leading at roughly 245%, SK Hynix close behind at about 215%, and Samsung adding approximately 149%.
SK Hynix hits $1 trillion market cap on AI memory boom Quartz · Nur Photo / Getty Images Cris Tolomia Wed, May 27, 2026 at 6:47 PM GMT+7 2 min read 000660.KS 005930.KS MU SK Hynix stock crossed a $1 trillion market capitalization for the first time on Wednesday, closing 9.3% higher on the Korea Exchange as demand for high-bandwidth memory chips used in AI data centers continued to tighten supply across the industry.
At its intraday peak, the stock climbed 14.9% before pulling back, with the chipmaker's total market value hitting a record 1,680 trillion won — equivalent to roughly $1.12 trillion — according to Reuters. Samsung Electronics had first cleared the $1 trillion threshold on May 6, and Micron Technology followed just one day earlier, on Tuesday.
SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron now form the three dominant suppliers of high-bandwidth memory, sitting at the center of the global AI infrastructure buildout. Counterpoint Research data cited by Bloomberg show that as of last year's fourth quarter, SK Hynix commanded 57% of global HBM revenue, leaving Samsung and Micron with 22% and 21% shares, respectively. April earnings results showed quarterly profit multiplying fivefold, and the company projected that demand for HBM chips would outpace available supply over the coming three years.