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SK Hynix Tops Samsung, Becomes Korea’s Most Valuable Firm

7/17/2026

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Summary

Story summary

In June 2026, SK Hynix overtook Samsung to become South Korea’s most valuable firm and the world’s leading advanced memory-chip maker.
It recovered from an early-2000s downturn that halved sales and lowered market capitalisation to just above $500 million.
Following a decade of restructuring and a failed Micron bid, SK Group bought the chipmaker in 2012.
SK Hynix now rivals Samsung and leads the high-bandwidth memory market for AI workloads.

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Story summary

In June 2026, SK Hynix overtook Samsung to become South Korea’s most valuable firm and the world’s leading advanced memory-chip maker.
It recovered from an early-2000s downturn that halved sales and lowered market capitalisation to just above $500 million.
Following a decade of restructuring and a failed Micron bid, SK Group bought the chipmaker in 2012.
SK Hynix now rivals Samsung and leads the high-bandwidth memory market for AI workloads.