How SK Hynix overtook Samsung with an AI chip bet - The Daily Star

SK Hynix's rise to become South Korea's most valuable company in 2025 was the result of a long-term strategic bet on high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips. Despite early setbacks and skepticism, including... Read original →

SK Hynix’s ascent stems from a strategic bet that prioritized architectural foresight over Samsung’s scale-driven inertia. This shift has intensified demand for EUV tools upstream and redirected TSMC’s CoWoS capacity toward HBM3E, reshaping the AI memory hierarchy. Geopolitically, U.S. export controls compelled SK Hynix to localize some HBM output in Wuxi, China—raising short-term costs but securing supply-chain resilience in a critical market. Samsung is now racing to integrate its 3nm GAA logic with in-house AI accelerators, while Micron leverages CHIPS Act subsidies despite yield challenges. Over the next 18 months, the race to HBM5 will define leadership; SK Hynix’s edge hinges on maintaining deep co-design ties with NVIDIA, as TSMC’s SoIC and Intel’s Foveros threaten to erode its bandwidth advantage through advanced 3D stacking.