AI chipmaker SK Hynix hits $1T in market capitalization - Semafor

South Korean memory chipmaker SK Hynix has crossed the $1 trillion market capitalization mark, joining Samsung and Micron Technology as major industry titans. This surge is driven by strong demand for... Read original →

SK Hynix’s $1T valuation marks a structural inflection in AI-driven memory demand. Its HBM3E chips are now tightly integrated into NVIDIA’s GB200 platform, forcing upstream adoption of EUV and 3nm hybrid bonding—pushing Samsung to accelerate TSV stacking and Micron to bet on CXL-based differentiation. Geopolitically, U.S. export controls on Chinese memory makers have elevated SK’s Wuxi fab as a 'China-contained' production hub, yet over 70% reliance on ASML exposes it to Wassenaar restrictions. Over the next 12 months, AI server DRAM bit demand will surge >50% YoY, but expanded U.S. curbs on Korean fabs in China could trigger supply chain reconfiguration. Crucially, capital markets now treat memory as core AI infrastructure—not a cyclical commodity—rewriting semiconductor valuation frameworks globally.