Samsung, SK Hynix Climb 4% and 7% as US Chip Rally Boosts Sentiment

Samsung up 4%, SK Hynix gains 7%

SanDisk’s upbeat outlook lifts chip stocks

Musk also mentions memory shortage

Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc., South Korea’s two biggest chipmakers, rose in early trading on Aug. 18 as a rally in US semiconductor shares boosted sentiment.

As of 9:27 a.m., Samsung Electronics was trading at 286,500 won, up 12,000 won, or 4.37%, from the previous session on the Kospi. SK Hynix gained 124,000 won, or 7.54%, to 1.769 million won. SK Square Co., SK Hynix’s largest shareholder, also rose 90,000 won, or 7.8%, to 1.244 million won.

The move followed broad gains in US chip stocks overnight. SanDisk rose 8.88% to close at $1,786.85, extending its rally to a sixth straight session since Aug. 7. Micron Technology gained 4.13% to $1,011.75, recovering the $1,000 level on a closing basis. SK Hynix’s American depositary receipt also advanced 3.04% to $171.38.

Sentiment toward semiconductor shares has improved since SanDisk presented its long-term growth outlook at an investor briefing on Aug. 13. The company projected annual revenue growth in the mid- to high-teens in fiscal 2028 through 2030, citing strong demand from the buildout of artificial-intelligence infrastructure.

Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s latest remarks on memory shortages also appeared to support sentiment. US investment magazine 24/7 Wall St. reported that entrepreneur Peter Diamandis wrote on X on Aug. 14 that “the bottleneck limiting progress in the age of agentic AI is not computing power, but memory.” Musk replied, “Very few people realize this.”

Ko Jung-sam, Hankyung.com reporter jsk@hankyung.com