South Korea's semiconductor equipment, materials and components shares rallied sharply on August 11 after SK Hynix confirmed investment in its second fab at the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster and the M17 facility in Cheongju, reinforcing expectations for broader capital expenditure. By 10 a.m., YEST had surged 15.45% and Jusung Engineering climbed 13.74%, with other equipment names including Wonik IPS, Vm and Eugene Technology also posting strong gains. HBM (high bandwidth memory) supply-chain stocks advanced as well, while Samsung Electronics rose only 0.54% and SK Hynix fell 2.18%, pointing to profit-taking in large memory makers and a rotation into suppliers. The move built on gains from the previous session in Tes, TCK and LTC and came as brokerages offered split views on memory stocks. Mirae Asset Securities kept target prices at 370,000 won for Samsung Electronics and 2.8 million won for SK Hynix, while Kiwoom Securities cut its targets to 350,000 won and 2.1 million won, respectively, citing concerns that commodity memory may be peaking. Morgan Stanley said the steepest phase of the memory-stock drop has passed, and Motley Fool described the recent correction as a buying opportunity, pointing to SK Hynix's 56.4% HBM market share and valuation. Sentiment was also supported by improving earnings at sector suppliers. Simmtech posted second-quarter operating profit of 62.89 billion won, 33% above market expectations, while Hanmi Semiconductor reported record quarterly revenue of 251.1 billion won and operating profit of 130.3 billion won. Hanwha Semitech returned to operating profit, and Daishin Securities forecast Simmtech's third-quarter operating profit would rise 519% year over year to 76.7 billion won. Outside Korea, U.S. chip stocks were mixed. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell 2.94% on August 10, dragged lower by Intel and Coherent, while Nvidia dropped 2.86% even after outlining plans to raise more than $500 billion in third-party capital for AI infrastructure with partners including Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs and KKR. The market reaction was muted because specific commitments and terms were not disclosed. The broader backdrop remains shaped by AI demand, packaging expansion, memory pricing and geopolitical risk. DRAM spot prices were mixed, Samsung Electro-Mechanics benefited from AI server component shortages, and China's CXMT continued to expand in DDR5 adoption and prepare an IPO of up to 66.61 billion yuan. At the same time, South Korea's semiconductor support law took effect on August 11, and August 1-10 semiconductor exports reached $9.95 billion, up 155.4% from a year earlier.