Amid growing expectations for the artificial intelligence (AI) industry and concerns over astronomical investment costs, global tech companies are increasingly pursuing large-scale fundraising. Antropic, valued at up to $20 billion, has initiated its initial public offering (IPO), while Meta plans to raise up to $95 billion. As AI investment sentiment revives, global stock markets have surged, with South Korea's market also showing strong rebounds led by major semiconductor firms like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
According to Reuters on October 27, Antropic, the developer of 'Claude,' has submitted a securities registration statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and plans to list on Nasdaq next month. Antropic is reportedly valued at up to $20 billion (approximately 26 trillion won) and aims to raise $10 billion (about 13.2 trillion won). If successful, this would mark the largest IPO in history. On the same day, Meta announced a plan to raise up to $95 billion to strengthen its AI infrastructure.
The fundraising news from Antropic and Meta has led to a broad rise in global stock markets. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index and the Nasdaq 100 Index increased by 2.82% and 1.09%, respectively. The South Korean stock market also rebounded, with the KOSPI index closing at 5,638.34, up 168.87 points (3.09%) from the previous trading day. The KOSDAQ index also rose by 2.29%, finishing at 743.83.
South Korea's top two semiconductor companies also showed strong performance. Samsung Electronics closed at 222,000 won, up 4.23%, while SK Hynix surged 5.18% to finish at 1,341,000 won. Other companies, including SK Square (up 7.67%), Samsung Electro-Mechanics (up 7.42%), and LG Energy Solution (up 2.00%), also saw gains. Market attention is focused on the upcoming third-quarter earnings announcements from SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, with expectations for additional shareholder returns. Analysts predict that SK Hynix could return 40 trillion to 50 trillion won based on estimated pre-tax profits from the sale of Kioxia shares (over 20 trillion won) and free cash flow, while Samsung Electronics may return around 80 trillion won, totaling approximately 120 trillion won for both companies.
Kim Dong-won, head of research at KB Securities, stated, "Seventy to eighty percent of the memory production planned by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix next year is tied to long-term supply contracts (LTA) with global big tech clients, which will mitigate market volatility. At this point, where record earnings and historical undervaluation coexist, large-scale shareholder returns will be a decisive factor in resolving undervaluation."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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