Samsung Breaks $1 Trillion Barrier as AI Chip Demand Drives Record Quarter

Samsung Electronics saw its market value cross the $1 trillion mark on Wednesday, as shares jumped over 10% amid a broader rally in AI-related stocks. The South Korean chipmaker now joins TSMC as the only Asian companies to reach that valuation, having first hit the milestone in late February, according to FactSet data.

The surge followed Samsung's record first-quarter earnings, where operating profit increased more than eightfold to 57.2 trillion won—surpassing its entire 2025 profit of 43.6 trillion won. Revenue also hit an all-time high of 133.9 trillion won, fueled by strong demand for memory chips used in AI data centers and machine learning deployments.

Adding to the momentum, a Bloomberg report indicated that Apple has held exploratory talks with both Samsung and Intel about producing chips for Apple devices in the U.S., a move that could reduce Apple's reliance on longtime supplier TSMC. While the talks are preliminary, the prospect of diversifying chip supply chains has investors watching closely.

Shares of rival SK Hynix also jumped over 9%, helping push South Korea's Kospi index above 7,000 for the first time—a milestone driven largely by AI infrastructure spending. For business leaders evaluating hardware supply chains, the message is clear: the AI chip boom is reshaping not just valuations, but the geography of semiconductor manufacturing itself.

Source: CNBC