Samsung Electronics, SK hynix's market cap gap narrowest in 13 years
The logo of Samsung Electronics is seen in front of a headquarters of Samsung Electronics in Seocho District, Seoul, Oct. 8. Yonhap
The market capitalization gap between Samsung Electronics and SK hynix marked the lowest level in 13 years as of Friday, the main stock exchange said Sunday.
Samsung Electronics' market capitalization accounted for 15.85 percent, or 333.7 trillion won ($240 billion), of the overall value of stocks listed on the Korea Stock Price Index (KOSPI) market as of Oct. 25, according to the Korea Exchange.
SK hynix's reached 6.95 percent, or 146.3 trillion won, of the KOSPI market.
The two chipmakers' market capitalization gap was 8.9 percent, the lowest in 13 years and three months since their gap marked 8.84 percent in 2011, the main exchange said.
Shares in Samsung Electronics have suffered declines due to lower-than-expected earnings results in the third quarter and delayed quality test approval for the supply of its high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips to U.S. AI chip giant Nvidia.
A headquarters of SK Hynix in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province / Yonhap
In contrast, SK hynix shares continued to rise on an HBM supply deal with Nvidia's robust third-quarter earnings results.
SK hynix began mass production of 12-layer HBM chips, the first in the world, solidifying its competitive edge over rivals.
The company plans to supply new 36-gigabit 12-layer HBM3E chips to its customers, including Nvidia, within the year.
This marks the industry's first mass production of the highest capacity and fastest HBM chip to date, outpacing other major HBM manufacturers like Samsung and Micron Technology.
Samsung Electronics plunged 28 percent this year through Friday to 55,900 won, while SK hynix jumped 42 percent to 201,000 won. (Yonhap)