South Korea Proposes Tax on AI Firms, Sandisk Shares Drop
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 4 days ago
0mins
Should l Buy SNDK?
Source: Fool
- Government Tax Risk: South Korea's chief of staff, Kim Yong-beom, proposed a special tax on AI companies via Facebook to fund a 'national dividend,' potentially increasing tax burdens on Sandisk and impacting its profits and shareholder returns.
- Market Reaction: Sandisk's stock fell 5.8% in early trading, reflecting investor concerns over potential government intervention in the AI sector, especially given the company's substantial profits, which could affect its competitive position.
- Increased Competitive Pressure: In addition to government tax risks, Sandisk faces pressure from competitors who may lower prices to capture market share, further undermining Sandisk's leadership in the computer memory chip market.
- International Implications: Although Sandisk has limited ties to Korea, investors worry that this proposal could inspire similar tax policies in other countries, such as China and Japan, posing a potential threat to Sandisk's global operations.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy SNDK?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on SNDK
Wall Street analysts forecast SNDK stock price to fall
14 Analyst Rating
11 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 1382.720
Low
220.00
Averages
283.69
High
410.00
Current: 1382.720
Low
220.00
Averages
283.69
High
410.00
About SNDK
SanDisk Corporation is a developer, manufacturer and provider of data storage devices and solutions based on NAND flash technology and has consumer brands and franchises globally. The Company's solutions include a range of solid state drives (SSDs) embedded products, removable cards, universal serial bus (USB) drives, and wafers and components. Its broad portfolio of technology and products addresses multiple end markets of Datacenter, Edge and Consumer. Its Datacenter end market is composed primarily of products for public or private cloud environments and enterprise customers. The Company, through the Edge end market, provides original equipment manufacturer and channel customers a broad array of high-performance flash solutions across personal computer, mobile, gaming, automotive, virtual reality headsets, at-home entertainment, and industrial spaces. The Company serves the Consumer end market with a broad range of retail and other end-user products.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Massive Market Potential: The global AI market is projected to grow from $390.9 billion in 2025 to $3.5 trillion by 2033, with a compound annual growth rate exceeding 30%, providing a robust investment foundation for AI infrastructure stocks.
- Outstanding Financial Performance: Sandisk reported $5.95 billion in revenue for Q3 2026, a 251% increase year-over-year, with net income of $3.61 billion reflecting a 287% improvement, showcasing strong profitability and market demand.
- Rapid Data Center Growth: Sandisk's data center revenue surged 645% year-over-year to $1.46 billion, while edge computing revenue rose 295% to $3.66 billion, indicating the company's leadership in the fast-growing AI infrastructure sector.
- Exceptional Stock Performance: Sandisk's stock has risen 526% year-to-date, significantly outperforming other companies in the Nasdaq-100, highlighting its strong performance and high investor confidence in the AI infrastructure space.
See More
- Mini-Tender Offer: Tutanota LLC has made an unsolicited offer to purchase 100,000 shares of Sandisk at $1,150.00 per share, representing less than 0.07% of its common stock, which could result in losses for shareholders due to the below-market price.
- Offer Conditions: The offer is contingent upon Sandisk's stock price exceeding $1,150.00 on the last trading day before expiration, indicating that shareholders may receive less than market value unless Tutanota waives this condition, reflecting a potentially unfavorable acquisition strategy.
- SEC Warning: As the offer targets less than 5% of shares, Tutanota is exempt from many SEC disclosure requirements, and the SEC has cautioned investors about mini-tender offers, advising them to be vigilant against below-market bids.
- Sandisk's Recommendation: Sandisk advises shareholders who have not responded to the offer to take no action and emphasizes that it is not affiliated with Tutanota, aiming to protect shareholder interests.
See More
- Amazon Stake Increase: By the end of March, Appaloosa Management increased its Amazon stake by 98%, making it the largest disclosed holding valued at approximately $900 million, indicating strong confidence in e-commerce and cloud computing sectors.
- Uber and Vistra Boost: The hedge fund raised its Uber stake by 242% and increased its Vistra Energy holding by 114%, reflecting an optimistic outlook on the recovery of the mobility and energy markets.
- New Investment in Sandisk: Appaloosa disclosed a new position in Sandisk valued at roughly $179 million at the end of March, highlighting its focus on storage solutions and the growing demand from data centers.
- Reduction in Several Holdings: Despite increasing stakes in several tech stocks, Appaloosa reduced its positions in Alibaba, Alphabet, and Nvidia by 33%, 3%, and 13% respectively, demonstrating a cautious approach amid market volatility.
See More
- Microsoft Stake Reduction: Appaloosa Management reduced its Microsoft holdings from 500,000 shares to 90,000 shares in Q1, indicating a waning confidence in the tech giant, which could impact its future market performance.
- Increased Amazon and Micron Holdings: The fund raised its Amazon stake from 218,000 shares to 4.32 million shares and increased Micron shares to 1.66 million, reflecting optimism about the growth potential of both companies, which may yield substantial investment returns.
- New Investment in Sandisk: Appaloosa established a new position in Sandisk with 281,250 shares, demonstrating interest in the storage technology market, which could lead to gains in future technological advancements.
- Exit from American Airlines: The fund completely exited its position in American Airlines, previously holding 14.15 million shares, reflecting uncertainty about the recovery of the airline industry, which may affect the stability of its overall investment portfolio.
See More
- Market Reaction: China's rejection of Trump's proposal led to a 3.2% drop in Nvidia's stock, negatively impacting the semiconductor sector, particularly causing Micron's shares to fall by 5.4%, reflecting market concerns about future demand.
- Sandisk Performance: In contrast to the declines of Nvidia and Micron, Sandisk's stock rose by 1.2%, indicating strong market demand for its NAND memory chips, which may reflect increased investor confidence in its future sales outlook.
- Supply Chain Dynamics: Nvidia continues to rely on Sandisk's NAND chips to support the performance of its AI chips; thus, despite market unease regarding Nvidia's prospects, Sandisk's demand remains relatively unaffected, highlighting its importance in the supply chain.
- Global Market Environment: While changes in the Chinese market may impact Nvidia's sales, the ongoing global supply crunch in memory chips persists, allowing Sandisk to sell every memory chip it produces, demonstrating its competitiveness in the global market.
See More
- Strong Earnings: SanDisk reported Q3 EPS of $23.41, significantly surpassing the consensus estimate of $14.66, indicating a marked improvement in profitability under robust demand, which is likely to bolster investor confidence further.
- Surge in Datacenter Revenue: Datacenter revenue soared 645% year-over-year to $1.467 billion, reflecting the company's strong performance in the cloud computing sector, which is expected to continue driving overall revenue growth.
- Long-term Contractual Revenue Assurance: The company secured $42 billion in long-term contracts with five new hyperscaler clients, ensuring revenue stability for the coming years and enhancing market trust in SanDisk.
- Optimistic Market Outlook: Despite the stock price tripling year-to-date, analysts remain optimistic about the future, projecting Q4 revenue between $7.75 billion and $8.25 billion, indicating sustained growth potential.
See More











