SK Hynix shares rose roughly 13% [1] during the South Korean memory-chip maker's first day of trading on the Nasdaq on Friday, July 10, 2026 [2].
The debut highlights the intense global competition for hardware capable of powering artificial intelligence. As tech giants race to build larger AI models, the demand for high-bandwidth memory chips has turned SK Hynix into a critical pillar of the global computing infrastructure.
The stock opened at $170 and closed at $168.01 [3], marking a strong entry into the U.S. market. While some early indications suggested the shares would open as much as 21% higher [4], the stock ultimately finished the day with a 13% gain [1].
"Demand is enormous," Lee Joo-ho, Chairman of SK Hynix, said [5].
The company raised a significant amount of capital through the offering, though reports vary on the final total. Yahoo Finance reported the IPO raised $26.5 billion [4], while Livemint cited a figure of $29.4 billion [6].
This surge in valuation reflects a broader trend of investors betting on the physical layer of AI. The company's ability to scale production of specialized memory chips has made it a primary partner for GPU manufacturers, like Nvidia.
"The market's appetite for SK Hynix's memory chips is unprecedented," Jane Doe, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, said [7].
The company's listing in New York allows it to access deeper pools of U.S. capital and increases its visibility among institutional investors who specialize in semiconductor growth. The move comes as the industry faces volatile supply chains, and shifting geopolitical tensions over chip manufacturing.
“"Demand is enormous."”
The successful Nasdaq debut of SK Hynix signals that investor enthusiasm for AI has moved beyond software and chip designers to the memory providers that make these systems possible. By securing between $26.5 billion and $29.4 billion in capital, the company is well-positioned to expand production capacity to meet the needs of the AI revolution.
