Tech stocks rise on SK Hynix-Intel plans and reported OpenAI funding
Technology shares moved higher in pre-market trading as SK Hynix explored US memory-chip manufacturing and OpenAI was reported to be seeking funding at a US$1.2 trillion valuation.
Technology stocks rose in pre-market trading on 14 September, with the Nasdaq up 0.5%, as investors weighed reported developments involving SK Hynix, Intel and OpenAI, according to Yahoo Finance.
SK Hynix said it was “exploring various options” after Reuters reported that the company was considering manufacturing memory chips at Intel’s planned fabrication facility in Ohio. A separate proposal could involve a venture between SK Hynix, Intel and cloud companies. Shares in Intel and SK Hynix rose more than 3%.
The reported plans come as the global artificial intelligence build-out has contributed to demand for memory chips. Capital expenditure by four major hyperscalers was reported at US$293 billion in the first two quarters of 2026, with annual AI infrastructure spending projected to approach US$600 billion.
The Wall Street Journal separately reported that OpenAI was planning a funding round valuing the company at US$1.2 trillion. The reported valuation would be above the US$852 billion valuation attached to its previous funding round in March. The funding and valuation have not been confirmed, while the company’s potential initial public offering was reportedly pushed to 2027.
AI safety remained a focus for the sector. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei called for a slower pace of frontier-AI development, with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman agreeing. Cybersecurity shares also rose in pre-market trading amid concerns about powerful AI agents, while some AI-related stocks weakened.
Elsewhere, Meta unveiled subscription plans starting at US$2.99 a month. A report citing ChemSec findings also linked planned increases in PFAS production to demand from AI-related data centres, while Elon Musk indicated possible deeper collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX. Those developments remained reported or exploratory.
