Samsung Electronics' market capitalisation crossed $1tn for the first time in the company's 57-year history, joining TSMC as the only other Asian operator to do so. The company's stock has more than quadrupled in a year, with shares trading up by around 12%. The KOSPI also broke 7,000 for its first time on the same trading session. This milestone is seen as the largest single re-rating event Korean equities have seen. Samsung's Q1 2026 earnings result indicated a strong demand for high-bandwidth memory and server-grade DRAM, which Samsung has been signalling consistently. However, Tom's Hardware reported in late April that AI-driven memory shortages are expected to persist through 2027 and beyond, with customers already booking supply years ahead and the wider DRAM market tightening alongside HBM.