Chipmaker turns into second South Korean firm in historical past to hit milestone.
Printed On 29 Might 2026
South Korea’s SK Hynix has entered the unique ranks of corporations value at the least $1 trillion, propelled by explosive demand for semiconductors utilized in AI.
SK Hynix, the world’s second-largest reminiscence chipmaker, hit the milestone this week as traders rushed to capitalise on record-shattering revenues generated by the AI growth.
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The feat comes after SK Hynix’s two important rivals – US-based Micron and fellow South Korean tech big Samsung Electronics – hit the milestone this month on the again of the worldwide scarcity of DRAM and NAND reminiscence chips.
SK Hynix’s share worth has skyrocketed 240 p.c for the reason that begin of the yr, and greater than 80 p.c this month alone.
The surge mirrors a broader AI-driven rally in South Korea’s inventory market, which has seen the benchmark KOSPI index double in worth to this point in 2026.
SK Hynix’s market capitalisation stood at 1.66 quadrillion gained ($1.10 trillion) on Friday, after its shares completed almost 2 p.c increased.
The South Korean chipmaker’s working revenue surged fivefold year-on-year within the first three months of this yr, topping 37.6 trillion gained ($24.9bn).
Income got here to 52.6 trillion gained ($34.8bn), up threefold on a yearly foundation.
Solely 17 corporations have reached a market valuation of at the least $1 trillion, all however 5 of that are based mostly in the USA.
Chinese language state-owned PetroChina grew to become the world’s first trillion-dollar firm upon its itemizing on the Shanghai inventory change in 2007 – a reign that might show short-lived after the 2008 international disaster worn out three-quarters of its market worth.
Apple hit the milestone in August 2018, adopted by Amazon the next month, Microsoft in April 2019 and Alphabet in January 2020.
Of the 14 corporations presently value at the least $1 trillion, SK Hynix is one in every of simply 4 that aren’t US-based, together with Samsung Electronics, Taiwan’s TSMC, and Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Aramco.
