SK Hynix, Micron cross US$1tril valuations on AI demand surge

SEOUL: The market value of South Korean memory chipmaker SK Hynix soared past US$1 trillion today, fueled by frenzied global demand for the computing hardware that powers artificial intelligence (AI) tools – a surge that also carried US-based Micron across the threshold.

SK Hynix’s new benchmark comes on the heels of rival Samsung Electronics, whose market capitalisation also topped US$1 trillion this month – fanning frustration among its workers, who have since struck a deal with management securing massive bonuses and averting a strike.

Shares in SK Hynix, which supplies Silicon Valley AI chip titan Nvidia with advanced high-bandwidth memory, were up more than 11% in early afternoon trade.

Its new valuation makes the company one of just three US$1 trillion firms in Asia, along with Samsung and Taiwanese contract chipmaker TSMC, according to Bloomberg.

Idaho-based Micron also crossed the US$1 trillion barrier on Tuesday and jumped another 5% at the opening of trade on Wall Street on Wednesday.

Governments and tech firms worldwide are pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into AI data centres that can train and run tools such as chatbots, image generators and agents.

That has caused a dizzying boom in business for companies that make the silicon microchips used to crunch vast amounts of data in these facilities.

“Currently there’s a backlog and there’s a short supply, and there’s a tremendous amount of demand,” Adam Sarhan of 50 Park Investments told AFP.

This is “economics 101.”

Companies like SanDisk, Western Digital and SeaGate technology have also seen their share prices skyrocket as much as 1,000% in a year.

In April, SK Hynix said net profit had rocketed almost 400% to a record high in the first quarter, thanks to the AI boom – which helped it shrug off concerns that the Middle East war could hit the semiconductor industry.

At Samsung, meanwhile, union members on Wednesday approved a deal with management under which around 78,000 employees will each be eligible to receive a bonus of roughly US$370,000 this year, based on operating profit estimates.

According to Samsung’s union, workers at SK Hynix received bonuses more than three times larger than those paid out by Samsung last year.

The promised windfall at both firms has sharply elevated the social status of chip engineers in South Korea.

A simple jacket bearing the SK Hynix logo went viral on social media this month as a symbol of wealth and success, with parody posts depicting it as a “golden ticket” to luxury boutiques – or better dating prospects.

Yonhap news agency reported that jobs at Samsung and SK Hynix now guarantee “a boost in marriage market value,” citing a rise in their “desirability indices” compiled by matchmaking agency Sunoo – putting them on a par with traditionally prestigious professions such as doctors and lawyers.

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