South Korean semiconductor stocks rallied sharply on Thursday as strong earnings from U.S. memory chip maker Micron Technology reignited investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence-related companies. The gains also reflected growing optimism surrounding SK Hynix’s planned U.S. listing and Samsung Electronics’ potential share buyback program.
Micron delivered second-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations across key financial metrics, including revenue, earnings per share, and adjusted gross margin. The company also issued a strong outlook, stating that demand for memory chips continues to grow rapidly as artificial intelligence applications drive increased spending on data centers and advanced computing infrastructure.
The strong performance from Micron helped lift sentiment across the global semiconductor sector, with Nasdaq futures advancing and investors returning to AI-related stocks.
SK Hynix emerged as one of the biggest winners, with its shares rising as much as 12% during early trading. The stock approached its year-to-date high of 2,945,000 won as investors welcomed the company's planned U.S. listing. The broader Kospi index also gained nearly 5%.
The memory chip maker plans to raise more than $29 billion through its U.S. listing, with the proceeds expected to support business expansion as demand for advanced AI chips continues to accelerate. The company's American depositary receipts are expected to begin trading on July 10.
Market analysts believe the U.S. listing could attract substantial international investment and help reduce the valuation discount that SK Hynix has historically faced in the South Korean market. Greater access to global investors could improve liquidity and strengthen the company's international profile.
Samsung Electronics also posted strong gains, rising as much as 6.2% after reports emerged that the company is considering a major share buyback program. Although Samsung has not officially confirmed the details, local reports suggest the repurchase plan could be worth approximately 90 trillion won.
The combination of improving memory chip demand, expanding AI infrastructure investment, and shareholder-friendly initiatives has significantly boosted investor confidence in South Korea's leading semiconductor companies.
Both SK Hynix and Samsung have been major beneficiaries of the artificial intelligence boom. SK Hynix shares have risen more than fourfold this year, while Samsung's stock has nearly tripled, reflecting strong demand for high-bandwidth memory and advanced semiconductor products used in AI applications.
As AI investment continues to accelerate globally, South Korea's leading chipmakers appear well positioned to benefit from rising demand for memory technologies that power next-generation data centers and artificial intelligence systems.
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