Overview

Asian semiconductor equities surged on Thursday after Micron Technology Inc posted record fourth‑quarter results and an optimistic outlook for AI‑driven memory demand.

Market Reaction

The KOSPI index rose 4.1%, propelled by South Korean memory‑chip leaders. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd gained 5.3% to 358,500 won, while SK Hynix Inc jumped 9.2% to 2.818 million won. Together Samsung and SK Hynix represent more than 55 % of the KOSPI’s market capitalisation, accounting for the bulk of the index’s gain.

Across the region, Japanese chip makers also rallied: Advantest Corp advanced 11.4%, Tokyo Electron Ltd rose 7.8%, and Kioxia Holdings Corp increased 8.8%, contributing to a 3.8 % rise in the Nikkei 225. In Hong Kong, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp added 2.5% and Hua Hong Semiconductor Ltd climbed 4.2%. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd edged up 0.4%.

Micron’s Earnings and Outlook

Micron, the world’s largest U.S. memory‑chip producer and a key supplier to NVIDIA Corporation, reported record quarterly results and forecast fourth‑quarter revenue above Wall Street estimates. The company disclosed $22 billion of multi‑year customer commitments, indicating that demand for AI‑memory products will keep supplies tight through at least 2027. Micron’s share price rose roughly 12 % in after‑hours trading.

SK Hynix Capital Raising

SK Hynix announced plans to raise up to $29.4 billion through a Nasdaq listing of American depositary receipts, one of the largest U.S. equity offerings on record. Proceeds are earmarked for expanding AI‑memory production capacity. Analysts noted that a U.S. listing could broaden the investor base and narrow the valuation discount to U.S. peers. The stock is up more than 800 % year‑to‑date, and earlier in the week it overtook Samsung as South Korea’s most valuable listed company.

Kioxia ADR Plans

Kioxia Holdings Corp, Japan’s largest memory‑chip maker, stated it intends to list American depositary receipts by spring 2027, further aligning its capital structure with global investors.

Significance

The rally alleviated earlier concerns that AI‑linked semiconductor valuations had become detached from fundamentals after a sharp sell‑off earlier in the week. The combined effect of Micron’s strong results, sizable customer commitments, and capital‑raising announcements by SK Hynix and Kioxia reinforced expectations of resilient AI infrastructure spending despite recent market volatility.