SK Hynix now stands tall as the second-largest entity by market capitalization in South Korea, just behind tech giant Samsung Electronics. This achievement is particularly impressive considering that two decades ago, the memory chip maker was struggling hard to survive from the brink of bankruptcy.
The global wave of artificial intelligence (AI) popularity has been the primary catalyst for SK Hynix's success. High market demand for advanced memory chips has propelled the company's share value up by a staggering 13-fold since early 2025. At its peak, the company's market value touched a fantastic figure of US$1 trillion last May.
The company took another strategic step on July 10 when it officially listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market through American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). The response from US stock market investors proved overwhelmingly positive, marked by a debut trading close that surged 13 percent above the initial offering price, while expanding the company's access to international capital.
The company's historical roots trace back to 1983, when the Hyundai Group established Hyundai Electronics Industries. That move was part of South Korea's grand vision to strengthen independence in strategic industrial sectors, particularly semiconductors, amid fierce global electronic technology competition at the time.
