Hanwha Asset Management
Hanwha Asset Management said its PLUS Global HBM Semiconductor exchange-traded fund has delivered strong medium- to long-term returns, driven by an upturn in the memory chip market as investment in artificial intelligence expands.
The ETF returned 11.67% over the past month as of the 8th, Hanwha Asset Management said on the 10th. Its six-month return stood at 70.33%, while year-to-date and one-year returns reached 140.30% and 388.07%, respectively. The cumulative return since listing is 950.35%.
The fund packages major memory chipmakers at home and abroad into a single product. Domestically, it invests in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, and overseas in U.S.-based Micron Technology and SanDisk. Rather than concentrating on a single country or company, the structure spreads exposure across the global memory industry.
Hanwha said the product differs from mainstream semiconductor ETFs. Korean semiconductor ETFs mainly invest in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix or in domestic materials, parts and equipment suppliers, while U.S. semiconductor ETFs are built around AI computing chipmakers such as Nvidia and Broadcom. By contrast, the PLUS Global HBM Semiconductor ETF gains exposure to high-bandwidth memory and DRAM through Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Micron, and widens its scope to NAND flash and data storage by including SanDisk.
Demand for memory used in AI servers is rising as generative AI and cloud services spread, sustaining growth expectations for related companies. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are responding to expanding AI infrastructure investment with HBM and high-value DRAM, while expectations are also building for Micron’s HBM business. SanDisk covers NAND flash and data storage, complementing the portfolio.
Hanwha Asset Management is also broadening its lineup of products investing in the memory and storage industry. Last month it launched the PLUS SK hynix SanDisk 50 Bond Mixed ETF, which holds both SK hynix and SanDisk alongside bonds. “This is a product suited to investors who want concentrated exposure to pure memory chip companies while mixing in bonds to lower volatility compared with equity-only products,” said Kum Jung-seop, head of the ETF business division at Hanwha Asset Management.