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Samsung stock crossed a $1 trillion market capitalization on Wednesday, making the South Korean memory chipmaker only the second Asian company to reach the threshold after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
A 14% jump in Seoul trading lifted Samsung's valuation to roughly 1,500 trillion won, equivalent to approximately $1.03 trillion. The broader Kospi benchmark crossed 7,000 for the first time on the back of the move, finishing the session up more than 5%. Stock in memory peer SK Hynix climbed more than 10% on the same day.
The gains followed record first-quarter earnings from Samsung's semiconductor division. Semiconductor division revenue hit a record 133.9 trillion won for the quarter, with operating profit reaching 57.2 trillion won — a figure more than eight times what the division posted in the same period a year ago. Taken alone, that single quarter's earnings surpassed the 43.6 trillion won Samsung recorded across all of 2025.
Analysts pointed to a shortage of DRAM and NAND memory chips as a key driver. Because building new chip fabrication capacity requires roughly two to three years from groundbreaking to production, analysts expect tight supply conditions to persist well into the AI demand upswing, according to CNBC.
Samsung has also moved to close a technology gap with SK Hynix in high-bandwidth memory chips, a segment central to AI data center infrastructure. Samsung announced in February that HBM4 — the sixth iteration of high-bandwidth memory — had entered mass production at its facilities, with shipments already underway to select customers, a milestone the company claimed no rival had reached first. By one estimate, SK Hynix controls around 55% of the HBM market, leaving Samsung with approximately a quarter of sales, according to CNBC.
Wednesday's buying was partly driven by foreign investors. Net purchases of Kospi shares by overseas investors totaled 3.1 trillion won on the day, according to Bloomberg; local media attributed part of the inflow to an arrangement between Interactive Brokers and Samsung Securities that opened a channel for American retail investors to buy Korean-listed stocks directly. Among Asian currencies, the won was the day's standout performer, gaining more than 1% on the dollar.
Apple has held talks with Samsung about producing main processors for Apple devices in the U.S., according to Bloomberg — a development that could offer Apple a secondary supplier beyond TSMC.
Not all of Samsung's business lines are benefiting equally. Outside the chip division, results have been weaker, with the handset and display businesses squeezed by escalating input costs. Labor tensions have also surfaced, with Samsung workers threatening to walk out for 18 days later this month in a dispute over how the company distributes its AI-driven windfall, according to Bloomberg.
FactSet data show Wednesday was not Samsung's first time above the $1 trillion valuation mark — the stock had briefly touched that level on Feb. 26.