SEOUL: Samsung Electronics crossed the $1 trillion market value mark for the first time on Wednesday, driven by soaring demand for artificial intelligence chips and strong investor confidence in the sector.
The milestone came as Samsung shares jumped nearly 12 percent in morning trading, extending a sharp rally fuelled by the global AI boom. Domestic chipmaker SK hynix also recorded gains of around 10 percent.
The surge helped South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index climb more than five percent, surpassing the 7,000-point level for the first time at the opening bell.
Samsung has emerged as a major supplier of high-performance chips used in AI systems, alongside rival SK hynix, as technology firms worldwide race to expand AI infrastructure and computing power.
The company’s stock has risen around 300 percent over the past year, reflecting growing optimism surrounding AI-related semiconductor demand.
Operating profit
According to Bloomberg News, Samsung is now only the second Asian company after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company to surpass a $1 trillion market capitalisation.
Last week, Samsung reported record first-quarter earnings, with operating profit surging 750 percent year-on-year to 57.2 trillion won ($39.3 billion).
The company attributed the strong performance to “AI technology innovations and proactive market response”, adding that it expects “strong memory demand to continue” in the coming quarter as global investment in AI infrastructure accelerates.
The development also aligns with South Korea’s broader ambitions to position itself among the world’s leading AI powers alongside the United States and China.
Analysts say continued expansion in data centres, AI models and advanced computing systems is likely to sustain strong demand for high-performance memory chips in the months ahead.
