South Korean memory chip giant SK hynix is accelerating its push into artificial intelligence hardware, unveiling plans for a blockbuster Nasdaq listing and a multi-billion-dollar equipment deal with ASML. The company intends to raise approximately $28 billion through the sale of 177.9 million American Depositary Shares (ADS), with trading expected to commence on July 10 under the symbol 000660.KS. Simultaneously, SK hynix will spend roughly 11.9 trillion won ($8.6 billion) on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography scanners from ASML — the only commercial supplier of the advanced machines — with delivery slated by December 2027.
The proceeds from the Nasdaq offering are earmarked to construct new fabs, purchase EUV tools, and expand memory production capacity tailored for AI, high‑performance computing, and cloud data centers. Global AI capital spending is projected to hit $800 billion in 2026, with the United States capturing over 80% of that, according to GlobalData TS Lombard. SK hynix, holding a 56.4% share of the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market and 29.1% of DRAM revenue in Q1 2026, is well positioned to ride the wave, while Samsung and TSMC are also vying for a slice of the same demand.
ASML stock jumped about 4% on the news, reflecting the massive order for its next-generation EUV systems that cost roughly $400 million apiece. SK hynix’s own market capitalization stands near $29.61 billion, and the company has been expanding its NAND footprint since acquiring Intel’s NAND business in 2021. South Korea itself is backing the domestic chip sector with a Won576 trillion semiconductor and AI investment programme, anchoring on SK hynix and Samsung Electronics.
Although the news is not crypto‑specific, the infrastructure build‑out could indirectly influence the digital asset industry. The proliferation of high‑speed memory chips underpins servers and data farms that host blockchain nodes and mining operations. As AI‑driven hardware advances, it may eventually lower costs or increase efficiency for crypto‑related computing tasks, reinforcing the broader tech ecosystem on which many decentralized networks depend.
