TradingKey - During the Asian trading session on August 12, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fluctuated higher, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix both surging to become the main drivers pushing the index upward. As of press time, the KOSPI index rose 4.8%, while Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix both gained over 7%, as the two memory chip giants rallied in tandem.
[Source: TradingView]
On Samsung Electronics, the company continues to push forward in AI memory chips, with market demand expectations for its mid-to-high-end memory products heating up recently. As a global memory leader, Samsung's capacity and technological footprint in the NAND Flash and DRAM markets have consistently been a focus for investors, and strong demand for high-performance memory from AI data centers remains the primary driver pushing its stock higher.
[Source: TradingView]
SK Hynix's gain was fueled more by optimistic expectations for capacity expansion. According to South Korean media reports, SK Hynix subsidiary Solidigm has restarted construction on its second Dalian plant, aiming to boost NAND capacity at its Chinese facility by 50%, with a primary focus on mature process products in the 100-layer class.
Meanwhile, SK Hynix's first-mover advantage in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) continues to pay dividends. Market reports indicate the company has locked in a long-term supply agreement with a key AI chip client, further securing its future revenue.
At the industry level, the boom in AI computing infrastructure construction remains underway, with memory chips continuing to benefit as a core supporting component. Supply and demand for HBM and enterprise SSDs remain tight, leaving limited room for price downside as inventory destocking nears completion. As the main controllers of global memory capacity, Samsung and SK Hynix's earnings elasticity is worth watching as supply-demand dynamics improve.
Overall, the rally in Samsung and SK Hynix reflects both a positive market reaction to their technological progress and capacity strategies, as well as expectations of an upturn in the memory sector's momentum.
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