A Soaring AI Standout Is Eyeing a 2026 U.S. Listing. Its Next Act Could Be Bigger

Some of the most remarkable performers of the past year aren’t even listed on the NYSE or Nasdaq. Undoubtedly, international stocks have had a bit of an edge over the S&P 500 and even the Nasdaq 100 in the past year. And while time will tell if the U.S. stock market is ready to lead again, I do think that the case for embracing some of the international innovators is stronger today than ever before.

Of course, chasing momentum can up the risk profile, but, at the same time, some of the global growth companies are not only hot but relatively affordable. In any case, my view is that AI innovation and related structural tailwinds can be found outside of the U.S. and for investors light on global growers, perhaps it’s time to consider looking at what else is out there that’s working in a big way.

SK Hynix is coming to the U.S. market. Why it’s a massive deal as the memory giant looks to make a big splash

South Korea’s market has been scorching hot in the past year, with the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (NYSEARCA:EWY | EWY Price Prediction) gaining more than 131% in the past year, even with the latest correction (now down around 16% from its all-time high) thrown in. When it comes to the South Korean market, the big memory makers have been the biggest of needle-movers.

And one of them, SK Hynix, is looking to finally list on the U.S. exchange, likely the Nasdaq, at some point this year. Over the past year, the Big Two memory chip giant did more than its fair share to power the South Korean market, with a surge of more than 350% in the past year. It’s been an explosive year for the memory chip stocks, which have been enjoying enviable market dynamics amid the AI boom.

Next-generation AI data centers are feasting on the high-bandwidth memory (HBM3E HBM4), and if you’re a DIY PC builder, you’ve probably felt the inflationary pain at the electronics store. Of course, more recent volatility in SK Hynix shares, as well as the rest of the memory makers, could be a sign that things are getting a bit toppy in the trade. Certainly, the overheated memory hardware stocks deserve a breather after posting multi-bagger gains in around one year’s time.

The memory supercycle may still have legs 

Despite news of more recent efficiency breakthroughs (like Google’s TurboQuant algorithm) that might lower the memory consumption by large-scale AI models, it certainly feels like there’s still no end in sight for the great memory chip shortage. The memory supercycle has struck, and it might last through 2028 or a bit longer. Any way you look at it, the next few years have the potential to be incredible for the memory players as they look to increase supply to meet unprecedented demand. Who knows?

Some of the more bullish analysts out there might expect the supercycle to last into 2029. And the next thing you know, it might go into 2030. Indeed, the scale of the AI boom and its impact may still be underestimated by investors, many of whom might be prudent to temper their enthusiasm at a time when it’s unclear whether or not there are bubbles forming within the AI scene.

In any case, the paperwork is filed, and one of the world’s hottest stocks might be ready to hit the ground running at some point later this year. With a very modest valuation (perhaps due to fear that a peak cycle might not be all too far off the horizon) compared to the growth that lies ahead, perhaps it’s worth keeping tabs on the coming listing, as the memory supercycle takes its next big turn and investors look for options to play the boom that aren’t named Micron (NASDAQ:MU).