AI, chip 'super week' sends Korean tech stocks surging

A string of major global events poised to reshape the AI and semiconductor landscape is converging this week, with significant implications for South Korean chipmakers including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. GTC Taipei 2026 and Computex 2026 in Taiwan, along with Microsoft Build, are expected to generate a wave of announcements that analysts say will move both individual share prices and the broader Kospi.

Samsung Electronics surged more than 9 percent in early trading Monday, setting a new all-time high, according to Korea Exchange data. SK Hynix opened near flat. Both stocks outpaced the broader index last week — the Kospi gained 8.0 percent, while Samsung Electronics climbed 8.4 percent and SK Hynix soared 20.2 percent.

The Kospi powered through the 8,600, 8,700 and 8,800 levels in succession Monday. The index opened up 9.52 points, or 0.11 percent, at 8,485.67 before surging more than 3 percent by mid-morning to breach the 8,700 mark intraday.

Samsung Electronics led the Kospi's advance by setting an intraday record, while LG Electronics jumped more than 27 percent on expectations of a meeting between LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Naver also surged as much as 10 percent intraday.

Huang is scheduled to visit South Korea after attending Nvidia GTC Taipei 2026, which opened Monday, and is expected to meet with Koo. Analysts expect the encounter to accelerate LG Group's growth in AI and robotics. Naver shares also rallied after reports emerged that Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin would similarly meet with Huang.

Both GTC Taipei 2026 and Computex 2026 are expected to significantly influence domestic stocks in the days ahead. Nvidia delivers Huang's keynote at GTC Taipei on Monday. GTC Taipei runs through Friday, while Computex — Asia's largest IT trade show — opens Tuesday and runs through Saturday.

Key items to watch at GTC Taipei include messaging around the Arm-based integrated chips N1 and N1X for AI PCs — semiconductors that combine a CPU, GPU and AI processing functions on a single chip for Windows PCs. Updates on Vera Rubin, Nvidia's next-generation AI server platform, are also drawing close market attention.

Brokerages view the week's events as an opportunity to validate further upside for chip stocks. SK Securities on Monday set a price target of 610,000 won (about $406) for Samsung Electronics and 4 million won for SK Hynix. KB Securities raised its Samsung Electronics target last week from 450,000 won to 530,000 won and its SK Hynix target from 3 million won to 3.8 million won. Mirae Asset Securities also lifted its Samsung Electronics target from 480,000 won to 550,000 won and its SK Hynix target from 3.2 million won to 3.8 million won.

"The Nvidia GTC running alongside Computex 2026 in Taiwan is one of the biggest AI tech events of the year," said Kim Rok-ho, an analyst at Hana Securities. "Jensen Huang's keynote on Monday will draw the most attention." He added that the importance of memory chips was expected to be reaffirmed at the event, which he said would have a positive effect on the share prices of domestic companies.

Kim Dong-won, head of research at KB Securities, said Huang's return visit to South Korea — his first in seven months — signals how much Nvidia's dependence on Korea has grown. "Securing HBM is one of the core purposes of this visit," Kim said. He noted that reliance on Korean suppliers was set to deepen as HBM4 begins to be integrated into the Vera Rubin platform, adding that Nvidia was expected to source more than 80 percent of its total HBM4 demand from SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics.

Expectations surrounding Samsung Electronics are also becoming more concrete. Kim said Samsung Electronics supplied the world's first 12-layer HBM4E samples to global customers on May 29, just before Huang's visit, strengthening its negotiating position for next-generation accelerator contracts. HBM4E is an enhanced version of HBM4, itself the next-generation high-bandwidth memory chip. Kim added that cooperation with Samsung Electronics' foundry on leading-edge processes — aimed at reducing Nvidia's heavy reliance on TSMC — could also emerge as a topic during the visit.

Microsoft Build, running Wednesday through Thursday, is expected to yield announcements on agentic AI and the AI software ecosystem. Analysts consider it another key catalyst for domestic AI-related stocks as well as chipmakers.

Meanwhile, the Kospi's breach of the 8,800 level Monday marked the first time the index had crossed that threshold, pushing total market capitalization above 7,000 trillion won ($4.67 trillion) for the first time as well. Sentiment is building both at home and globally ahead of the semiconductor-focused events.

All three major U.S. indexes closed at all-time highs last Friday, driven by strength in technology stocks. Japan's Nikkei also surpassed 67,000 intraday Monday for the first time, with buying concentrated in AI and semiconductor shares reflecting the same wave of optimism sweeping global markets.