SK Hynix overtook Samsung Electronics on Monday, seizing the lead in South Korea’s market capitalization as its valuation rose 5.7% to 2,082.5 trillion won (about $1.35 trillion), while Samsung inched up 0.4% to 2,081.3 trillion won.
Market Capitalization Shift
The change ends a 25‑year run in which Samsung held the top spot by market value. SK Hynix’s surge of more than 340% in 2026 dwarfs Samsung’s roughly 200% gain, widening the performance gap between the two semiconductor giants. Both firms benefit from AI‑driven demand for high‑bandwidth memory, but investors are now assigning a premium to SK Hynix’s dominance in that niche.
Drivers Behind the Valuation Gap
Bernstein’s analysis of South Korean trade data shows Samsung’s HBM shipments from its South Chungcheong packaging hub jumped 79% between April and May, a 55% rise compared with February levels. The firm’s “value per weight” metric, a proxy for HBM pricing, climbed 30% in May, whereas SK Hynix’s figure remained