Corporate Value of the Global AI and Semiconductor Companies Invested by SK Square Increased up to Sevenfold in Two Years

Key Takeaways

• SK Square invested KRW 30B in seven AI/semiconductor firms.
• Hammerspace’s data orchestration platform targets AI data bottlenecks.
• d‑Matrix valuation rose over sevenfold to $2B after investment.
• TetraMem expects valuation to double, focusing on edge AI chips.
• SK Square reorganized CIO function to boost global investment execution.

Pulse Analysis

The explosion of generative AI models has shifted the bottleneck from compute to data movement. As GPUs scale to multi‑petaflop performance, retrieving terabytes of distributed training data can stall pipelines, prompting a wave of data‑orchestration solutions. Hammerspace, founded by memory‑industry veteran David Flynn, offers a software‑defined layer that virtualizes storage across clouds and on‑premises sites, automatically routing active datasets to the nearest GPU without interrupting applications. By presenting storage as a seamless, local‑like resource, the platform promises to unlock higher silicon utilization for cloud providers and large enterprises such as Meta and national labs.

SK Square’s recent KRW 30 billion injection into seven AI‑focused firms illustrates how targeted corporate venture capital can translate technical promise into market value. d‑Matrix, an AI inference chip maker backed by Microsoft and Temasek, saw its valuation climb from roughly $300 million to over $2 billion—a sevenfold increase after the 2023 investment. TetraMem, leveraging low‑power ReRAM technology for edge AI, is slated to double its $450 million valuation in the upcoming round. Complementary bets in OLED displays, photonic interconnects, and MOF materials round out a portfolio that collectively validates SK Square’s sector‑specific thesis.

The success of SK Square’s TGC Square unit underscores a broader shift toward corporate investors that combine deep industry expertise with agile capital deployment. By restructuring its CIO function and appointing seasoned leaders, the group has sharpened its ability to source, evaluate, and scale startups across the U.S. and Japan. This model not only secures early access to breakthrough components that could define the next generation of AI hardware but also positions SK Square to capture lucrative follow‑on rounds and eventual IPO exits. As AI workloads continue to demand tighter integration of compute and memory, similar investment playbooks are likely to proliferate across the semiconductor value chain.