SK Hynix joins trillion-dollar club alongside Nvidia, TSMC - MSN

Amid the surge in artificial intelligence-driven demand, the semiconductor industry is experiencing a new wave of growth, with several leading chipmakers crossing the trillion-dollar market capitaliza... Read original →

SK Hynix’s entry into the trillion-dollar club signals more than a market rally—it’s a direct consequence of surging AI infrastructure demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Technologically, mass production of HBM3E/HBM4 is redirecting TSV and CoWoS packaging capacity toward memory, inflating logic chip manufacturing costs. Geopolitically, tightening U.S.-South Korea export controls compel SK Hynix to accelerate non-sensitive node expansions in Wuxi, China, to mitigate supply chain fragmentation. Facing Samsung’s dual pressure in GAA transistors and AI-optimized DRAM—and Micron’s CHIPS Act-fueled U.S. ramp—SK must deepen 3D stacking integration with TSMC (Taiwan, China). Over the next 18 months, HBM price premiums may stay above 30%, but once co-packaged optics (CPO) matures, the 'memory wall' advantage will evaporate: early movers feast; laggards scavenge.