South Korea's KOSPI Hits Record High on Samsung, SK hynix Rally Amid AI Chip Demand

Gate News message, April 27 — South Korea's KOSPI index reached a record high of 6,615.03 on April 27, rising 2.15% as chip and power equipment stocks climbed ahead of quarterly earnings from major U.S. tech firms including Apple, Alphabet, and Microsoft.

Foreign and institutional investors purchased a net 2 trillion won (approximately $1.35 billion) of shares, while retail investors sold a net 2 trillion won ($1.34 billion). Total trading volume reached 33 trillion won ($22.4 billion).

Samsung Electronics gained 2.28% and memory chipmaker SK hynix surged 5.73%. Power equipment makers LS Electric and Hyosung Heavy Industries jumped 12% and 10.95%, respectively, while battery makers LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI declined. The Korean won strengthened 12 against the U.S. dollar to 1,472.5.

The rally reflects strong first-quarter earnings from Samsung and SK hynix, driven by surging demand for AI memory chips. SK hynix posted record operating margin of 72% in Q1 2026. Chipmakers are increasingly discussing three- to five-year supply contracts, indicating anticipated long-term shortage of memory chips. Power and data center equipment makers have combined order backlogs exceeding 30 trillion won ($20.4 billion). Industry analysts expect the global chip wafer shortage to persist until 2030, with High Bandwidth Memory (HBM)—a specialized high-speed memory for AI chips—emerging as a critical bottleneck.