EL7.AI
StocksMedium•21 October 2026•
4 min read

Samsung rises 7.1%, SK Hynix gains 6.2% on renewed AI optimism

Key Facts

1Samsung shares rose 7.1% and SK Hynix gained 6.2% during Wednesday's trading.
2The Kospi rose 4.6% to 5,805.63 points in early coverage of the session.
3Supermicro estimated fiscal first-quarter revenue at about $18.5–19.5 billion, compared with previous guidance of $14.5–15.5 billion.
4Samsung forecast consolidated operating profit of about 107.40 trillion won in its third-quarter guidance.

Samsung shares rose 7.1% and SK Hynix gained 6.2% during trading on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, on renewed optimism over demand for artificial intelligence, according to Investing's coverage. The gains in the two South Korean companies coincided with improving sentiment toward chip stocks after updated revenue estimates from Supermicro exceeded its previous guidance. In early coverage of the South Korean market's rebound, the Kospi rose 4.6% to 5,805.63 points. The website linked the recovery in chip stocks to Supermicro's estimates, which revived optimism over demand for AI platforms. The gains in Samsung and SK Hynix reported in that coverage were intraday moves. The rebound followed steep losses in both stocks during the first half of October amid doubts about demand and future growth.

Supermicro estimated revenue for its fiscal first quarter ended in September at about $18.5–19.5 billion, according to its preliminary business update. That compares with previous guidance of $14.5–15.5 billion for the same fiscal quarter. The company attributed the revenue estimates exceeding its previous guidance primarily to "increased demand for AI platforms." The company thus put demand for these platforms at the forefront of the factors that pushed its business estimates above the level it had previously announced. This revenue update was the catalyst Investing's coverage linked to improving sentiment toward Asian chip stocks. The company's announcement of stronger demand coincided with a recovery in South Korean stocks tied to the AI trade following their decline earlier in the month.

Doubts about demand and the long-term growth of the AI trade had weighed on Samsung and SK Hynix during the first half of October, according to Investing's coverage ahead of the rebound. Market coverage also linked technology-sector volatility to concerns about debt financing for data-center expansion. Those concerns included cloud computing company CoreWeave as part of the anxiety surrounding the sector's infrastructure expansion. Despite the recent decline, Samsung shares still showed a positive annual return of 120% in the market snapshot published before Wednesday's rebound. SK Hynix shares had a positive annual return of 169% in the same coverage. The two stocks thus combined sharp recent losses with substantial annual gains that remained intact before the latest recovery.

In South Korean corporate results, Samsung forecast consolidated sales of about 195 trillion won in its guidance for the third quarter of 2026, according to a company statement. It also forecast consolidated operating profit of about 107.40 trillion won for the same period. The projected profit compares with 89.49 trillion won in the second quarter of 2026. In the third quarter of 2025, Samsung recorded operating profit of 12.17 trillion won, according to the comparison table in its guidance statement. These figures put the third-quarter operating profit estimate above both the previous quarter and the corresponding period last year. The sales and profit guidance comes ahead of the company's results announcement and as its shares experience volatility tied to expectations for AI demand.

SK Hynix, meanwhile, reported revenue of 79.3187 trillion won for the second quarter of 2026, according to its official earnings statement. The company recorded operating profit of 60.5426 trillion won for the same period. It said revenue rose 257% year on year compared with the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Operating profit grew 557% on the same annual basis, according to the company. Operating profit growth thus exceeded revenue growth in the second-quarter results reported by the company. Those quarterly results preceded the volatility in SK Hynix shares in October, when the stock came under pressure alongside Samsung amid doubts about the sustainability of demand and future growth in the AI trade, before recovering during Wednesday's trading.

Attention later on Wednesday turns to results from Meta and Tesla scheduled for the same day, according to Investing, amid investor interest in AI spending and consumer demand. These announcements come before Samsung's scheduled quarterly results presentation later in October. Samsung has scheduled its third-quarter earnings call for 29 October 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Korean time, according to its investor relations website. The call follows the company's guidance, which included consolidated sales and profit estimates for the third quarter. Supermicro will then hold its next earnings call on 3 November, according to the business update published by the company. The company scheduled the call for 5 p.m. U.S. Eastern time, following its announcement of preliminary revenue estimates and its attribution of the improvement to demand for AI platforms.