SK Hynix Narrows Market Cap Gap with Samsung on AI Chip Dominance

SK Hynix has dramatically closed the valuation gap with Samsung Electronics, now reaching 73% of its rival's market capitalization. The Korean memory chipmaker's shares skyrocketed 122% in three months, fueled by soaring demand for its HBM3E chips—a critical component for AI accelerators. Nvidia's early adoption of these high-bandwidth memory modules has cemented SK Hynix's position as a key AI infrastructure supplier.

While foreign investors recently offloaded $4.2 billion worth of SK Hynix shares, they simultaneously increased stakes in Samsung, suggesting lingering confidence in the tech giant's ability to counterpunch. Samsung has begun limited shipments of competing HBM3E and next-generation HBM4 memory, setting the stage for a protracted battle in advanced semiconductor packaging.

The HBM boom is creating Ripple effects across the supply chain. Equipment manufacturers and outsourced semiconductor assembly firms stand to benefit as production scales to meet insatiable AI demand. This technological arms race underscores how memory chips have become the new battleground for AI supremacy.