[Edaily Reporter Kim Kyung-eun] #SK Hynix hit “2.6 million nicks” in early trading, setting a new all-time high.

According to MP Doctor on the 18th, as of 9:05 a.m. that day, SK Hynix was trading at 2.6 million won, up 79,000 won (3.13%) from the previous trading day. At one point during the session, the stock surged to 2,609,000 won, setting a new all-time high.

SK Hynix announced that day that it had supplied samples of its 12-layer “HBM4E”—a next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM) product—to major customers. Following Samsung Electronics last month, SK Hynix has also begun supplying HBM4E samples, leading observers to assess that the competition for market leadership between the two major memory manufacturers has intensified.

Following its first-ever breach of the 2.5 million won mark the previous day, SK Hynix’s stock price has continued its upward trend for consecutive days. The rise is attributed not only to growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors but also to expectations regarding shareholder returns and the listing of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs).

Yesterday, reports that SK Hynix is planning a 100 trillion won shareholder return program boosted investor sentiment. While SK Hynix denied the specific details in a regulatory filing, the company stated that it is reviewing various shareholder return options.

Amid expectations of shareholder returns, #SK Square, SK Hynix’s largest shareholder, is also trading higher. As of this writing, SK Square is up 71,000 won (4.45%) from the previous trading day, showing a stronger gain than SK Hynix.