Micron Technology hit a market valuation above $1 trillion for the first time on May 26, 2026, fueled by strong AI-driven demand for its memory chips [1, 2, 3, 4]. Its share price surged 18% to approximately $886.60, a record high [1, 2, 3]. UBS raised its price target on Micron stock to $1,625 from $535, citing long-term AI contracts with partially fixed pricing. UBS analysts said, "We believe the market will start to put a more 'normal' multiple on the stock and MU will continue to re-rate higher as more details emerge about the structural changes AI has driven to the entire memory complex" [1, 2, 3, 4]. Over the past 12 months, Micron's shares have climbed more than eightfold and risen about 225% this year alone [1, 5]. Simultaneously, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra became a billionaire amid the rise [5].
South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix surpassed the $1 trillion market value threshold on May 27, 2026, after shares rose over 11% in a single day [6, 7, 8, 9]. SK Hynix shares have surged roughly 250% since the start of 2026 amid booming AI memory chip demand [6, 7, 10]. The company held around 57% of the global high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market by revenue in the fourth quarter of 2025 [6]. Barclays analyst Simon Coles said, "We expect SK Hynix to remain the leader on high-bandwidth memory... product pricing is expected to remain favorable, with supply tightness to continue" [6]. Cha So-Yoon of Taurus Asset Management added, "Judging by earnings power alone, it’s difficult to predict a near-term peak... many are eyeing up to 10 times earnings as a near-term upside" [6]. SK Hynix also filed for a U.S. American depositary receipt listing this year, which may boost its share price further [6].
Earlier in May 2026, Samsung Electronics became the first South Korean company to pass the $1 trillion market cap mark [1, 6, 8, 9]. South Korea is now the first country besides the U.S. to have multiple companies—Samsung and SK Hynix—each valued above $1 trillion [11, 8]. Industrywide, AI-related demand has created supply constraints and driven up memory chip prices, benefiting top manufacturers like Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung [1, 6, 2, 8].
The rise in market value has also improved social status and wealth among chip engineers at SK Hynix and Samsung, who have received large employee bonuses this year. Samsung union employees reportedly received bonuses of about $370,000 each in 2026 [9].
Micron’s and SK Hynix’s milestone valuations come amid ongoing tight supply and strong demand for AI-centric memory chips. SK Hynix’s recent filing to list ADRs in the U.S. signals plans to increase its international investor base. Market watchers will look for further earnings reports and price action as AI chip demand shapes the semiconductor sector in 2026.
