Key Takeaways:
Samsung Electronics surged nearly 10% on Monday, adding roughly $30 billion in market value as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's arrival in Seoul fueled speculation of a high-bandwidth memory supply agreement.
Samsung Electronics Co. jumped as much as 9.5% on Monday, adding roughly $30 billion in market value, as Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang arrived in Seoul for meetings investors expect will yield a HBM4E supply deal.
"The market is pricing in a meaningful HBM4E win for Samsung, which would break SK Hynix's effective monopoly on Nvidia's advanced memory supply," said Lee Seung-woo, an analyst at KB Securities. "A deal of this scale could add $8 billion to $10 billion in annual revenue for Samsung's memory business."
Samsung shares closed at a record high, extending a rally that has made the Korean chipmaker one of the largest listed beneficiaries of AI infrastructure spending. The stock's 10% gain outpaced the broader KOSPI index, which rose 4.4% to 8,858.26. Rival SK Hynix Inc. advanced 2.4%, while LG Electronics Inc. surged 29% and Naver Corp. gained 12% on expectations of AI partnership opportunities during Huang's visit.
A HBM4E deal would mark a turning point for Samsung's memory business, which has trailed SK Hynix in supplying Nvidia with the high-bandwidth memory chips essential for training large language models. Samsung has been sampling its 12-stack HBM4E chips since late 2025, and a Nvidia qualification would validate years of investment in advanced packaging technology.
Huang's visit comes as South Korea's semiconductor exports hit a record $87.8 billion in May, up 53% from a year earlier, driven by the AI memory supercycle. The Nvidia chief is expected to meet with executives from Samsung, Naver, and other Korean technology groups during his multi-day stay.
For Samsung, winning Nvidia's HBM4E business would provide a critical second source of revenue in a market currently dominated by SK Hynix. The HBM market is projected to reach $40 billion by 2028, according to industry estimates, with Nvidia accounting for the majority of demand. Samsung's foundry business, which manufactures chips on its 3nm and upcoming 2nm nodes (which pack more transistors per square millimeter, improving performance per watt), could also benefit from closer collaboration with Nvidia on next-generation AI accelerators.
The broader Korean market has rallied on expectations that Huang's visit will unlock deeper AI partnerships across the country's technology ecosystem. Naver, which operates South Korea's largest search engine and has been developing its own large language models, rose 12% on speculation of a cloud or AI infrastructure collaboration with Nvidia.
Samsung shares now trade at roughly 18 times forward earnings, a discount to SK Hynix's 22 times, reflecting the market's view that Samsung has ground to make up in the AI memory race. A confirmed HBM4E supply agreement with Nvidia could narrow that gap, analysts said.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
