SK Hynix shares surged on Thursday, jumping over 15% to close at a record 2,987,000 won as investor sentiment recovered following a bout of earlier-week weakness. The rally positioned the stock among the top performers on the KOSPI, which rallied more than 6%.
Market interest intensified after rival memory chip maker Micron reported a stronger-than-expected quarterly performance and issued current-quarter guidance well above Wall Street estimates. SK Hynix closely tracked Micron’s overnight move, with the stronger print and upbeat outlook reinforcing expectations that demand tied to artificial intelligence will remain a significant tailwind for memory suppliers in the near term.
In addition to the spillover from Micron’s results, SK Hynix on Wednesday announced plans to raise up to $29 billion through a listing of American Depository Receipts on the Nasdaq. Investors cited the proposed ADR issuance as a secondary factor supporting the stock’s gains.
The three largest memory suppliers - Micron, SK Hynix and Samsung - have all benefited from elevated demand related to AI workloads over the past year, the market reaction suggests. The rapid expansion of data center capacity by major technology companies has put pressure on global memory inventories, tightening supply and supporting higher prices across both conventional DRAM and advanced high-bandwidth memory.
SK Hynix holds a leading market position in high-bandwidth memory, a segment that is highly exposed to AI-related demand trends. That exposure has contributed to the company’s substantial share price performance this year; SK Hynix has risen more than 300% year-to-date and recently surpassed Samsung to become South Korea’s most valuable company.
Thursday’s price action reflected both the immediate impact of Micron’s results and investor reaction to SK Hynix’s financing plan. The sharp move higher followed a period of earlier weakness, underscoring the degree to which earnings and guidance from major players can swing sentiment in memory markets and related equities.
Market context and takeaways
- Micron’s strong quarterly print and above-consensus guidance helped restore optimism about AI-driven memory demand.
- SK Hynix’s proposed Nasdaq ADR listing to raise up to $29 billion was cited as an additional catalyst for the stock’s rally.
- Supply constraints from rapid data center buildouts have lifted prices across DRAM and high-bandwidth memory, benefiting major suppliers.