South Korean companies sharply increased their investment in the United States in the first quarter, with actual foreign direct investment reaching $10.2 billion, more than double from a year earlier and the highest level in nearly five years, according to data from South Korea’s finance ministry cited by the Financial Times. The report said the surge has been driven by profit growth tied to the AI boom as well as U.S. tariff policy, which together have fueled the biggest wave of U.S.-bound investment and M&A activity by South Korean firms in recent years. Companies tied to AI infrastructure are moving quickly. Samsung Electronics has taken part in financing rounds for ZutaCore, a liquid-cooling company focused on AI data centers, and AI chip company Groq. SK Hynix, meanwhile, plans to invest $10 billion in U.S. innovation companies. The Financial Times also cited investment bankers as saying that with Chinese buyers stepping back from acquisitions of large U.S. technology assets, South Korean firms are entering what they described as a “golden period” for dealmaking in the U.S. market.
South Korean companies are stepping up investment and acquisition activity in the United States, in what the Financial Times described as the biggest such wave in recent years, driven by profit growth from the AI boom and by U.S. tariff policy.
Data from South Korea’s finance ministry showed that actual foreign direct investment by South Korean companies into the U.S. rose more than twofold year over year to $10.2 billion in the first quarter, the highest level in nearly five years.
Samsung and SK Hynix expand U.S. AI exposure
Companies benefiting from AI infrastructure demand, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, are accelerating their push into the U.S. AI supply chain.
Samsung has already participated in funding rounds for ZutaCore, an AI data center liquid-cooling company, and AI chip company Groq. SK Hynix plans to invest $10 billion in U.S. innovation companies.
Bankers see a window for Korean buyers
The Financial Times cited investment bankers as saying that as Chinese buyers retreat from the market for acquisitions of large U.S. technology assets, South Korean companies are entering a “golden period” for M&A in the United States.
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