SK Hynix (000660.KS) priced 177.9M U.S. ADRs at $149, raising $26.5B in one of the largest foreign listings on a U.S. exchange. The Nasdaq debut gives U.S. investors a direct memory-chip and HBM vehicle as AI server demand keeps capital spending elevated.
SK Hynix plans to issue 17.79 million new shares behind Nasdaq ADRs valued at KRW 45.45 trillion, or $29.65B. The filing points to a July 10 trading start and a broader U.S. investor base for the AI-memory supplier.
The discussion focused on a sharper bottleneck than GPU branding: memory is becoming the largest cost center in AI infrastructure.
The thread focused on a concrete supply-chain link: HBM demand for AI racks can squeeze DDR and LPDDR supply for everyday devices.
Samsung Electronics became the 13th company globally to top $1 trillion in market capitalization, with shares surging 14.41% to ₩264,000. The KOSPI closed at an all-time high of 7,384.56 (+6.45%), with foreign investors recording ₩3.53 trillion in net purchases — one of the largest single-day inflows in Korean market history. AI infrastructure-driven structural demand and Samsung's reported foundry talks with Apple were the twin catalysts.
SK Hynix (000660.KS) reported Q1 revenue of KRW 52.5763T, operating profit of KRW 37.6103T and a 72% operating margin as AI memory demand lifted pricing.
HN latched onto the RAM shortage because the uncomfortable link is physical: HBM demand for AI data centers is now shaping prices for phones, laptops, and handhelds.