What's happened
Global memory-chip equities have surged as SK Hynix joins Samsung and Micron in the $1 trillion market-cap club, rallying on strong AI-related demand for DRAM and NAND. The stock has climbed sharply this year, with rivals Samsung and Micron also delivering record profits and multi-hundred percent gains.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- The surge in memory stocks highlights a shift in AI infrastructure demand from processors to memory and storage components.
- SK Hynix’s ascent, alongside Samsung and Micron, underscores how chipmakers with memory dominance are capitalizing on demand for faster AI inference and training support.
- This trend could reshape investor expectations for the semiconductor sector, placing memory players at the forefront of AI-driven profitability.
Forecast: If AI workloads continue to scale, memory-sector multiples may stay elevated as supply tightness persists and data-center demand remains robust.
How we got here
The AI boom has turbocharged demand for memory chips. SK Hynix has reported a five-fold rise in operating profit for Q1 and revenues tripling year-on-year, helping it reach a market cap near $1 trillion. The broader South Korean market has benefited from the AI rally, alongside peers like Samsung and TSMC.
Our analysis
- Al Jazeera reports SK Hynix has achieved market-cap around $1.0 trillion with a five-fold rise in Q1 operating profit and tripled revenue year-on-year. - Business Insider UK notes Micron surpassing $1 trillion market cap and SK Hynix joining the trillion-dollar cohort amid a broader AI rally. - Business Insider UK provides context on the Kospi rally and Samsung’s $1 trillion milestone, tying the move to AI-driven demand for memory chips.
Go deeper
- How long will memory-chip valuations stay elevated as AI demand grows?
- Are there any signs of a shift back toward processors or other AI hardware segments?
More on these topics
-
SK Hynix - South Korean memory semiconductor supplier
SK Hynix Inc. (Korean: 에스케이하이닉스 주식회사), stylized SK hynix, is a South Korean semiconductor company that manufactures dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips and flash memory chips. SK Hynix is one of the world's largest semiconduc
-
Nvidia - Computer game company
Nvidia Corporation is an American multinational technology company incorporated in Delaware and based in Santa Clara, California.
-
Apple Inc. - Technology company
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services.
-
Micron Technology - American multinational corporation based in Boise, Idaho
Micron Technology, Inc. is an American multinational semiconductor company that manufactures computer memory and computer data storage products, including dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), flash memory, High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), and solid-state drives (SSDs). Founded in 1978 in Boise, Idaho, Micron is the only major American computer memory manufacturer. It is one of the “Big Three” computer memory manufacturers, together with the South Korean companies Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Micron marketed its consumer products under the brand Crucial, with the sub-brand Ballistix being used to denote products targeting gaming computers, until its disestablishment on 2026. Micron and Intel together created IM Flash Technologies, which produced NAND flash memory. It owned Lexar between 2006 and 2017. Sanjay Mehrotra has served as president and CEO of Micron since 2017. On May 26, 2026, Micron became the latest U.S. company to reach a US$1 trillion market capitalization, amid surging demand for its HBM chips.