Global semiconductor stocks continue their upward trend, with SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics showing gains in early trading. Investor sentiment is buoyed by expectations of increased memory chip demand, driven by expanded investments in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
As of 9:26 a.m. (KST) on Tuesday, the Korea Exchange reports SK Hynix trading at 1,838,000 KRW (about 1,365 USD), up 55,000 KRW (about 40.86 USD) (3.08%) from the previous day’s close.
Despite an initial dip, SK Hynix quickly rebounded into positive territory. Samsung Electronics also overcame early weakness and is currently trading up 1.02%.
The semiconductor sector’s strength persists from the previous session. On Monday, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix closed with gains of 5.68% and 8.26%, respectively.
With U.S. markets closed for Labor Day, the momentum from the recent global semiconductor rally continues unabated.
On September 4, while U.S. indices weakened following OpenAI’s announcement of GPT-6 Astra, semiconductor stocks surged. Micron Technology jumped 6.10%, while Western Digital (formerly SanDisk) soared 11.9%. SK Hynix’s American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) also saw an 8.14% increase.
The optimism surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) demand has spread to European chip stocks as well. Infineon Technologies led the charge with a 6.91% gain, followed by ASM International (4.48%), STMicroelectronics (4.08%), BE Semiconductor Industries (2.97%), and ASML Holding (2.25%).
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., a leading global investment bank, has also noted that the memory chip boom may last longer than initially anticipated.
In a recent Bloomberg interview, Timothy Moe, Goldman Sachs’ Chief Asia-Pacific Equity Strategist, reaffirmed his KOSPI target of 12,000.
Moe predicts that ongoing competition in global data center construction will sustain the shortage of memory and storage semiconductors, driving prices higher. He suggests this trend could intensify by 2027.