SK Hynix Surpasses $1 Trillion Market Cap - 조선일보

SK Hynix surpassed the $1 trillion market capitalization mark on May 27, 2026, becoming South Korea's second-largest company by market cap and the third in Asia after TSMC and Samsung Electronics. Thi... Read original →

SK Hynix’s trillion-dollar valuation reflects a structural shift in AI hardware economics, not speculative exuberance. Its HBM3E/HBM4 output is now tightly integrated into NVIDIA’s GB200 supply chain, compelling Samsung to accelerate 3nm GAA and HBM-in-package co-design, while Micron leverages U.S. CHIPS Act subsidies to build HBM capacity in Arizona. Technically, soaring EUV layer counts and TSV precision demands are inflating ASML order backlogs and boosting advanced packaging margins. Geopolitically, Seoul’s tightening export controls risk SK’s China datacenter exposure, while TSMC (Taiwan, China) retains dominance via CoWoS integration. Within 18 months, an HBM price correction from overcapacity could trigger consolidation—players without leading-edge nodes or anchor clients will be marginalized. SK Hynix’s ascent marks a tactical win for those breaching the 'memory wall' in the AI compute arms race.