SK hynix Inc. (NASDAQ: SKHY) is still stuck at the center of the global memory-chip selloff, and investors are trying to figure out whether this is a China problem, an AI-demand problem, or just a market that got a little too excited about memory stocks.

The stock has lost 12% over the last five days and was down over 3% on Wednesday. The pain is not contained to Korea. Semiconductor rivals Micron Technology, Inc. (MU), Western Digital Corp. (WDC), and Seagate Technology Holdings Plc. (STX) were also down almost 2%.

Cramer Says SK hynix Is Driving Semiconductor Trading

CNBC's Jim Cramer said South Korean memory giant SK hynix has become a key force driving the broader semiconductor selloff, with weakness in its shares spilling into U.S. chip stocks.

"Our chipmakers are joined at the hip with SK Hynix, not NVIDIA," Cramer said, arguing that the company's stock performance is setting the tone for the sector.

"The problem here is that the SMH ETF has wrapped up every important semiconductor in the industry, so they all trade together, led by SK hynix, the memory giant that trades both here and in Korea," Cramer said.

He argued on Wednesday that SK hynix's size and importance to the memory market have made its stock performance a major influence on the broader semiconductor group.

Cramer said investors should look beyond short-term stock moves and focus on growing memory requirements across AI systems and consumer devices.

However, he noted that SK hynix faces greater exposure than Micron to potential Chinese competition because its memory business is larger and more directly tied to global supply trends.

Pettit Says Memory Story Must Prove Its Durability

Roundhill Investments Chief Investment Strategist Drew Pettit said the memory sector has entered a transition after benefiting from rapid growth and large upward earnings revisions.

"Markets are interesting. They don't really like stock stories that are in transition, and that's where memory is right now," Pettit said.

He told CNBC on Tuesday that investors are now asking how sustainable the industry's growth will be, making memory stocks more vulnerable to negative headlines and pullbacks.

Pettit also said elevated interest rates leave the broader market with limited room for disappointment, adding another challenge for high-growth technology stocks.

Luria Says Chinese Competition Matters More for Korean Suppliers

D.A. Davidson Head of Technology Research Gil Luria said China's CXMT has improved its technology and gained DRAM market share, making its progress an important industry factor.

But he said Chinese suppliers still participate mainly in the lower end of the market and do not compete in high-bandwidth memory, where SK hynix and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. remain major suppliers.

Luria told CNBC on Wednesday that Chinese companies also cannot sell chips to major U.S. customers such as Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), Alphabet Inc.'s Google (GOOGL), Apple Inc. (AAPL), and NVIDIA Corp. (NVDA).

"If there's an impact, there's some impact on SK hynix and Samsung. It's not on Micron," Luria said.

He also noted that Chinese memory manufacturers still cannot satisfy domestic demand, limiting the amount of supply they can bring to international markets.

Luria remained constructive on the broader semiconductor cycle, saying companies across the AI supply chain continue to report improving results, outlooks and visibility.

"Results have gotten better, outlooks have gotten better, visibility has gotten better," Luria said.

For SK hynix, investors are therefore balancing near-term China-related competition and sector volatility against continued AI demand and its position in advanced high-bandwidth memory.

SKHY Price Action: SK hynix shares were down 3.18% at $152.06 during premarket trading on Wednesday, according to market data.