The era of the "9,000-point market" is on the horizon, with index gains approaching 100% since the beginning of the year. The driving force behind this surge is an artificial intelligence (AI) rally. Investment is rapidly shifting beyond major semiconductor stocks like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to encompass the entire AI value chain, including materials, components, equipment, and power infrastructure. Since the start of the year, over 2.7 quadrillion won has flowed into the AI value chain, with more than 200 trillion won identified as excluding Samsung and SK Hynix.
According to the Korea Exchange, from January 2 to June 16 this year, the KRX K-AI Semiconductor TOP2+ index surged by 250.02%, marking the highest return among KRX indices. This increase reflects the strong performance of AI semiconductor companies, including Hanmi Semiconductor, Rino Industry, Isu Petasys, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics, alongside Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. During the same period, the KOSPI index rose by 107.08%, while the KOSDAQ saw a modest increase of 10.07%.
Notably, the benefits of AI investment have extended beyond semiconductors to power infrastructure. The KRX-Akros AI Power Infrastructure index rose by 89.79% during the same timeframe. This index, which includes companies such as HD Hyundai Electric, LS Electric, Hyosung Heavy Industries, Sanil Electric, and Korea Electric Wire, does not overlap with the K-AI Semiconductor TOP2+ index.
The increase in market capitalization is also significant. The market capitalization of the KRX AI Semiconductor index, which encompasses the AI semiconductor ecosystem including HBM, has grown by approximately 2,634 trillion won since the beginning of the year. Similarly, the KRX-Akros AI Power Infrastructure index saw an increase of about 97 trillion won. Combined, the market capitalization growth of these two indices amounts to 2,731 trillion won. Even after excluding the 2,519 trillion won increase from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, over 200 trillion won has flowed into the upstream industries of the value chain, including materials, components, and power infrastructure.
Individual stocks have also demonstrated the expansion of the value chain. In addition to Samsung Electronics (186.07%) and SK Hynix (265.90%), SK Square (307.88%) and Doosan Tesna (182.52%) have seen substantial gains. In the power infrastructure sector, Sanil Electric (95.23%), Gaon Cable (218.57%), LS Electric (179.89%), and Doosan Fuel Cell (170.71%) have recorded high returns.
A securities industry representative noted, "The spillover effects of the AI value chain are evident in the stock market, extending beyond the increased demand for GPUs and HBMs to include server and data center expansions, power grid construction, and investments in industrial robots."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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