SK Hynix Closes $26.5B IPO, Prompting Calls for Expanded US Chip Manufacturing
SK Hynix has completed a $26.5 billion initial public offering in the United States, marking the largest foreign IPO in American history. The milestone comes as the AI chip boom continues to reshape the semiconductor industry, and has renewed calls for the company to establish additional manufacturing capacity on US soil.
The South Korean memory chipmaker, which supplies high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips critical for AI accelerators, saw strong investor demand for its listing. The successful offering underscores the continued importance of memory semiconductors in the artificial intelligence ecosystem, where HBM chips are essential components in training large language models and running AI workloads.
Industry groups and policymakers have used the occasion to reiterate calls for SK Hynix—and rival Samsung—to expand their US chipmaking footprint. The push aligns with broader efforts to strengthen domestic semiconductor supply chains and reduce dependence on overseas production, particularly for advanced chips used in strategic technologies.