How did reports that Singapore’s Temasek Holdings planned to invest directly in SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics affect SK Hynix’s share price and South Korean markets, and how does this development fit into SK Hynix’s recent Nasdaq debut, its $500 billion AI infrastructure partn

The report triggered a sharp, sentiment-driven rebound: SK Hynix rose about 5.5% at the South Korean close, after the two chipmakers were briefly up more than 8% intraday; Samsung gained 6.7%. Their moves helped lift the KOSPI more than 4% during the session.

• What investors inferred: A prospective direct Temasek purchase was read as sovereign-wealth-fund validation that Korean memory makers had been oversold after the July rout and that AI-memory exposure was undervalued. It was a report, not a confirmed transaction: amount and timing were not disclosed, and Temasek disputed the claim that it had sought Seoul’s guidance on investment timing.

• Why SK Hynix was especially responsive: It had only recently completed a $26.5 billion Nasdaq listing, broadening its access to global AI-focused investors. The Temasek story therefore reinforced, rather than created, a pre-existing investment case centered on HBM leadership and AI infrastructure.

• Nvidia linkage: SK Group and Nvidia announced a $500 billion-plus AI initiative that includes a long-term arrangement for SK Hynix to secure and co-develop next-generation AI memory, including HBM. Nvidia’s supply agreement addresses a critical constraint for advanced AI systems amid tight memory availability; associated AI-factory capacity is expected to begin coming online in 2027.

• Earnings and valuation context: SK Hynix’s AI-memory demand has supported record earnings—its fourth-quarter operating profit more than doubled year over year—while analysts have raised targets and maintained constructive views. One brokerage lifted its target 43.3% to ₩1.37 million; however, target prices are far from unanimous, with reported Korean estimates spanning ₩1.48 million to ₩4.7 million.

• Interpretation: The market reaction reflects a convergence of bullish factors—outside institutional interest, a US listing, Nvidia-linked multi-year demand visibility, constrained HBM supply, and strong profit momentum. But it does not prove Temasek will invest, and the wide target-price range shows that investors still disagree about how much of the AI upcycle, pricing strength, and supply shortage is sustainable.