In the early 2000s, General Electric (GE) held the title of the world's largest company by market capitalization, symbolizing American manufacturing. Other major players at the time included ExxonMobil, Microsoft, Citigroup, and Walmart, reflecting a strong presence of manufacturing, oil, retail, and financial sectors.
This year's global market capitalization rankings illustrate the dramatic shift in industry dynamics. Amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, the top 15 companies are now dominated by semiconductor and hyperscaler firms. Notably, six of these top 15 companies are semiconductor firms, highlighting the surge in AI-related semiconductor demand. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have both surpassed Bitcoin in the global asset rankings.
According to CompaniesMarketCap, as of June 19, Bitcoin's market capitalization stands at approximately $1.261 trillion, ranking it 17th among global assets, which includes gold and silver.
On June 18, a surge in stock prices allowed South Korea's two major semiconductor companies to surpass Bitcoin in market capitalization. Samsung Electronics has a market cap of about $1.574 trillion, placing it 12th, with a gap of approximately $313 billion between it and Bitcoin. SK Hynix also exceeded Bitcoin, with a market cap of around $1.318 trillion, ranking 15th. The recent upward trend in stock prices has widened the gap between SK Hynix and Bitcoin.
The presence of semiconductor companies is increasingly significant among the top global market capitalizations. Alongside Samsung and SK Hynix, six semiconductor firms are now in the top ranks. Nvidia leads with a market cap of $5.103 trillion, followed by TSMC at $2.396 trillion, Broadcom at $1.957 trillion, and Micron at $1.278 trillion.
Hyperscaler companies, which are based on large data centers, are also making their mark in the top ranks. Alphabet (Google) has a market cap of $4.483 trillion, Apple at $4.376 trillion, Microsoft at $2.818 trillion, Amazon at $2.628 trillion, and Meta (Facebook) at $1.465 trillion. Aside from semiconductor and hyperscaler firms, SpaceX has quickly risen to 8th place with a market cap of $2.437 trillion since going public, while Tesla ranks 13th at $1.504 trillion. Analysts suggest that the intensifying competition in AI semiconductors is drawing global investment into the semiconductor industry.
In contrast, historically dominant oil companies are represented by only one, Aramco, with a market cap of $1.709 trillion. Among financial and investment firms, Berkshire Hathaway stands alone with a market cap of $1.055 trillion.
The rally in domestic semiconductor stocks continues. SK Hynix recently surpassed 2.7 million won for the first time and exceeded 2.8 million won during trading, setting new records daily. This surge has propelled its market capitalization to over 200 trillion won for the first time. Samsung Electronics is also experiencing a rise, setting new all-time highs.
The strength of semiconductor stocks is spreading across the domestic stock market. With the KOSPI entering the '9,000-point' era, as of 11:20 AM, the combined market capitalization of the KOSPI and KOSDAQ reached 812.5546 trillion won, marking the first time the total exceeded 800 trillion won in history.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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