TLDR
- South Korea’s Kospi index closed 4.6% higher on Monday, led by Samsung and SK Hynix
- Samsung shares rose 5.7% and SK Hynix jumped 8.3% on AI-driven chip demand
- Global DRAM market revenue hit $154.73 billion in Q2 2026, up 59.5% quarter-on-quarter
- Samsung and SK Hynix together hold about 64% of the global DRAM market
- DRAM prices are forecast to rise 13% to 18% in Q3 2026
South Korea’s stock market jumped on Monday as investors backed the continued growth of artificial intelligence, pushing memory chip makers higher.
The Kospi index closed 4.6% up. Samsung rose 5.7% and SK Hynix gained 8.3%, both closing at multi-month highs. SK Hynix ended the day at 1.783 million won, while Samsung closed at 270,000 won.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 also moved higher, gaining 2.1%. Mainland China’s CSI 300 added 0.6%, though Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dipped 0.9%.
A strong U.S. jobs report released Friday may have added fuel to the rally. The U.S. economy added 162,000 payrolls in August, well above what economists had expected.
European markets did not follow Asia’s lead. The Stoxx 600 slid 0.2% in early trading. Frankfurt’s Dax also dropped 0.2% after a right-wing party won a regional election in Germany. U.S. markets were closed for Labor Day.
DRAM Market Posts Sharp Revenue Growth
The gains in South Korean stocks came as new data showed strong growth in the global DRAM market. Industry revenue reached $154.73 billion in Q2 2026, a 59.5% increase from the prior quarter, according to research firm TrendForce.
Samsung led the market with DRAM revenue of $60.98 billion, up 63.4% quarter-on-quarter. Its market share grew from 38.5% to 39.4%. The company has been pushing to ramp up production of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory, known as HBM4.
SK Hynix posted DRAM revenue of $38.59 billion, up 37.9%. However, its market share fell from 28.8% to 24.9%. The drop is partly linked to the structure of HBM contracts, which are longer-term deals that limit how quickly price increases flow through.
Micron Technology ranked third, with revenue up 65.5% to $36 billion. Its share of the market rose from 22.4% to 23.3%, narrowing the gap with SK Hynix.
Supply Stays Tight as AI Demand Builds
Memory inventories remain low across the industry. TrendForce expects supply growth to stay limited in Q3, keeping upward pressure on prices. DRAM prices are forecast to rise between 13% and 18% in the third quarter.
Some PC and smartphone makers may struggle to absorb those price increases, which could slow the pace of gains.
Analyst forecasts for Samsung’s Q3 operating profit have risen 12% over the past three months to 114.19 trillion won. SK Hynix’s estimate is up 4% to 78.80 trillion won.
Demand for AI memory is expected to stay strong as AI companies continue building larger models and more complex computing systems.
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