Samsung Hits $1 Trillion Market Cap as AI-Driven Semiconductor Rally Boosts South Korean Stocks

Samsung's market capitalization surpassed $1 trillion on May 6, 2026, as South Korean stocks continued a remarkable run. Fellow chipmaker SK Hynix reached a record high the same day while demand for semiconductors soared. Global investors turned increasingly bullish on AI companies across the value chain and around the world.

Alphabet leapt on news of a $200 billion deal with Anthropic. The AI companies themselves are also seeing cash flow. DeepSeek is seeking funding at a $45 billion valuation as of May 6, 2026, while Anthropic is expected to agree a new round at $900 billion.

That prospective valuation would surpass OpenAI’s $852 billion figure from March 2026. OpenAI was the second-most valuable private company in the world at that time. BlackRock played down fears of an AI bubble on or before May 6, 2026.

JPMorgan took a similar stance. South Korean stocks shot up another 6 percent on Wednesday, according to MarketWatch reporting. Samsung Electronics reaching $1 trillion in market cap marked one of two milestones in a year that has seen the Kospi index surge 75 percent and nearly triple over the last 52 weeks.

The developments underscored a broadening appetite for AI-related assets. Semiconductor demand has risen in tandem with expectations for continued heavy investment in the technology. Tom Chivers reported the developments for Semafor in an article published on May 6, 2026 at 6:36am EDT.