Samsung hits $1 trillion valuation as AI rally lifts shares over 10%

Samsung Electronics witnessed a remarkable surge in its stock price, climbing over 10% on Wednesday, which propelled the tech giant's market valuation beyond the $1 trillion threshold. This significant milestone makes Samsung the second Asian company, following TSMC, to achieve such a valuation, amid a fervent investment wave in artificial intelligence-related stocks. The surge in Samsung's shares is a direct response to the company's impressive first-quarter earnings report released last week. The operating profit skyrocketed more than eightfold, reaching 57.2 trillion won, while the revenue soared to a record high of 133.9 trillion Korean won. Notably, Samsung's first-quarter operating profit alone exceeded its projected full-year profit for 2025, which stands at 43.6 trillion won. Additionally, the stock rally was fueled by a Bloomberg report indicating that Apple has engaged in preliminary discussions with Samsung and Intel to potentially manufacture chips for Apple devices in the United States. This move could signify a shift away from their long-time reliance on TSMC for chip production. Furthermore, shares of SK Hynix, another South Korean semiconductor powerhouse, also experienced a notable increase of more than 9%, contributing to a robust rise in the benchmark Kospi index, which climbed over 5% to surpass 7,000 points for the first time.