South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix gained in early trading Friday, following a rally in U.S. semiconductor stocks fueled by renewed optimism over artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure investment.
Samsung Electronics shares rose 2.16% to 284,000 won ($188.16) by 9:13 a.m., though the stock had opened 4.68% higher at 291,000 won before paring some gains. SK hynix followed a similar trend, climbing as much as 5.44% to 2.305 million won shortly after the market opened before settling 0.78% higher at 2.203 million won.
The advance came after U.S. semiconductor stocks posted strong overnight performance. The Nasdaq Composite increased 1.3%, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index surged 3.06%. Micron Technology led the rally with a 4.5% gain after announcing plans to invest over $250 billion in U.S. manufacturing and operations by 2035 to support AI-driven demand.
Meta Platforms also climbed 4.7% after disclosing plans to develop its own AI chips. These moves reflect market confidence in sustained demand for high-performance computing components, though the rally’s staying power remains unclear beyond short-term sentiment.
Interest in SK hynix extended to its American Depositary Receipts, where demand exceeded the number of shares offered by more than seven times during the book-building process. On the Kospi, retail and institutional investors were net buyers, purchasing 53.7 billion won and 483.5 billion won worth of shares, respectively. Pension funds and financial investment firms led the buying with net purchases of 221.4 billion won and 206.1 billion won.
Foreign investors sold shares, offloading 533.7 billion won. They also sold 717.5 billion won in the Kospi’s electrical and electronics sector, which includes both companies. Retail and institutional investors countered with net purchases of 366.4 billion won and 348.5 billion won in the same sector.
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While chipmakers drew attention, smaller biotech firms also posted sharp gains. Proteina, a life sciences company listed on the Kosdaq, increased 12.82% to 26,400 won after announcing a technology option agreement with Samsung Bioepis. The deal, part of a government-backed AI drug discovery initiative, assigns Proteina to discover and validate drug candidates while Samsung Bioepis handles preclinical research.
If Samsung Bioepis exercises its licensing option, it will proceed with clinical development and commercialization, while Proteina will receive milestone payments and royalties. The partnership shows how AI is changing drug development, though the timeline for results remains uncertain.
Syntekabio, another Kosdaq-listed biotech, reached its daily price limit of 1,872 won, up 30% from the previous session. The jump followed news of a 6.48 billion won colocation services contract with cloud computing firm Atto Research. The contract will run from November 1 through October 31, 2029 and represents approximately 188.96% of Syntekabio’s revenue of about 3.4 billion won in 2025.
Colocation services involve leasing data center space for servers and networking equipment while providing supporting infrastructure such as power and cooling.
By the close, Samsung Electronics finished at 285,000 won. SK hynix ended at 2.18 million won.
