{"text":[[{"start":8.25,"text":"Chipmaker SK Hynix is to raise Won 45.5tn ($29bn) in a US listing, taking advantage of a surge in its share price sparked by its central role in the global AI boom."}],[{"start":21.1,"text":"The South Korean group said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday it planned to list American depositary receipts on the Nasdaq exchange next month."}],[{"start":30.6,"text":"It will be one of the largest such fundraisings by an Asian company, surpassing the initial public offering of China’s Alibaba more than a decade ago."}],[{"start":39.900000000000006,"text":"SK Hynix has outmuscled better-known chipmakers, including rival Samsung Electronics, to claim more than half of the global market for high-bandwidth memory chips, which allow the massive volumes of data required for AI to flow at high speeds."}],[{"start":55.60000000000001,"text":"The funds raised through the US offering will be used to support construction of new domestic chip plants, the company said."}],[{"start":63.650000000000006,"text":"SK Hynix is the primary HBM supplier to Nvidia and was recently selected by Microsoft for its own proprietary AI chips."}],[{"start":72.25,"text":"Shortages of HBM, as well as less powerful DRam and Nand memory chips, are propelling prices higher, with SK Hynix reaping the benefits. In April, the company reported record first-quarter operating profit of Won37.6tn, a fivefold jump from a year earlier."}],[{"start":90.15,"text":"Samsung and SK Hynix have both topped $1tn in market capitalisation and are among the 20 biggest companies globally."}],[{"start":98.10000000000001,"text":"SK Hynix this week overtook its rival in market capitalisation, helped by its strength in advanced memory products. Its shares have quadrupled in value so far this year."}],[{"start":108.7,"text":"The two companies now account for more than half of South Korea’s total market value, fuelling concerns about the stock market’s growing dependence on the two companies amid heightened volatility in recent weeks."}],[{"start":120.55,"text":"SK Hynix’s ADRs are expected to begin trading on July 10. The size of the offering may change following bookbuilding, but the shares initially offered will represent 2.5 per cent of SK Hynix’s outstanding stock, according to analysts."}],[{"start":136.85,"text":"Analysts said a US listing could improve access for global investors and narrow SK Hynix’s valuation gap against Micron and other US peers."}],[{"start":146.6,"text":"Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC, which first listed ADRs in 1997, has become a favourite among US investors seeking exposure to the AI supply chain."}],[{"start":156.7,"text":"SK Hynix shares jumped 2.7 per cent in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the regulatory filing."}],[{"start":163.89999999999998,"text":"SK Hynix and Samsung are in talks with the South Korean government to develop a new semiconductor production cluster."}],[{"start":171.34999999999997,"text":"Presidential policy adviser Kim Yong-beom said on Wednesday that the two companies needed to accelerate construction of new chipmaking facilities, bringing forward development timelines by more than a decade and targeting completion around 2034-35."}],[{"start":195.09999999999997,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1782300434_7232.mp3"}