South Korea’s SK Hynix has achieved a significant financial milestone, becoming only the second South Korean company in history to reach a market valuation of at least $1 trillion. This unprecedented achievement is largely driven by the surging demand for semiconductors fueled by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI).
As the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker, SK Hynix reached this remarkable valuation amid a wave of investor enthusiasm, particularly following record revenues linked to the AI boom. The company’s share price has experienced a staggering increase, soaring 240 percent since the beginning of the year and more than 80 percent just within the current month.
This landmark accomplishment for SK Hynix follows closely behind its major competitors. US-based Micron and fellow South Korean firm Samsung Electronics celebrated similar milestones earlier this month, capitalizing on a global shortage of DRAM and NAND memory chips.
As of Friday, SK Hynix’s market capitalization was reported at approximately 1.66 quadrillion won, equivalent to about $1.10 trillion, with shares closing nearly 2 percent higher. The chipmaker’s financial results for the first quarter of the year showcased an impressive growth trajectory, as its operating profit surged fivefold compared to the same period last year, reaching 37.6 trillion won, or approximately $24.9 billion. Revenue for the same period hit 52.6 trillion won, marking a threefold increase year-on-year.
This remarkable achievement places SK Hynix among an exclusive group of only 17 companies worldwide that have attained a market valuation of at least $1 trillion. Notably, a majority of these companies are based in the United States. The first to hit the trillion-dollar mark was Chinese state-owned PetroChina, which briefly held the title after its listing on the Shanghai stock exchange in 2007, before a sharp decline in value amid the global financial crisis.
Other tech giants that have crossed this threshold include Apple in August 2018, Amazon in September 2018, Microsoft in April 2019, and Alphabet in January 2020. Currently, SK Hynix, along with Samsung Electronics, Taiwan’s TSMC, and Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Aramco, represents a minority of companies outside the United States that have reached this valuation milestone.
The growth in SK Hynix’s stock value is reflective of a broader upward trend within South Korea’s stock market, particularly driven by AI advancements and related technologies, as evidenced by the benchmark KOSPI index doubling in value thus far in 2026.
