TechCrunch reported that Samsung Electronics cleared the $1 trillion threshold to become Asia's second company after TSMC to do so, after its shares rose more than 10 percent on May 6 on a surge in semiconductor demand driven by an AI boom.

Last week, Samsung Electronics said in its earnings announcement that first-quarter operating profit rose eightfold from a year earlier. Margins improved sharply as demand surged for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which is essential for running AI systems.

As AI chip demand outstrips supply, chip prices are rising and Samsung Electronics' profitability is also climbing. Reports that Apple is in talks with both Samsung Electronics and Intel to make chips in the United States also affected Samsung Electronics' share price rise.

Apple has relied on Taiwan's TSMC for chip production. TechCrunch reported that if Samsung Electronics wins a contract from Apple, it would mean a major change in the global semiconductor supply chain.

Not everything is positive. Samsung Electronics' union demanded a share of AI profits and warned of an 18-day strike, and its smartphone and TV divisions are in a situation where they must buy memory chips at high prices as HBM prices soar.