A customer appears to be like at a mannequin of SK hynix’s high-bandwidth reminiscence (HBM) know-how throughout the 2025 World IT Present in Seoul on April 24, 2025.
Jung Yeon-je | Afp | Getty Photographs
South Korea’s SK Hynix on Wednesday posted report quarterly income and revenue, boosted by a robust demand for its excessive bandwidth reminiscence utilized in generative AI chipsets.
The corporate is seeking to increase manufacturing capability in 2026, with its deliberate provide of reminiscence merchandise for 2026 already bought out.
Listed here are SK Hynix’s third-quarter outcomes versus LSEG SmartEstimates, that are weighted towards forecasts from analysts who’re extra persistently correct:
- Income: 24.45 trillion gained ($17.13 billion) vs. 24.73 trillion gained
- Working revenue: 11.38 trillion gained vs. 11.39 trillion gained
Income rose about 39% within the September quarter in contrast with the identical interval a yr earlier, whereas working revenue surged 62%, yr on yr.
On a quarter-on-quarter foundation, income was up 10%, whereas working revenue grew 24%. In its earnings launch, the corporate famous that the quarterly working revenue had surpassed 10 trillion gained for the primary time.
Following the report, SK Hynix shares in South Korea popped 3.5%, boosting its inventory rally to 210% this yr.
SK Hynix makes reminiscence chips which might be used to retailer information and may be present in every thing from servers to client units resembling smartphones and laptops.
The corporate has benefited from a growth in synthetic intelligence as a key provider of high-bandwidth reminiscence or HBM chips used to energy AI information middle servers.
“As demand throughout the reminiscence section has soared as a result of clients’ increasing investments in AI infrastructure, SK Hynix as soon as once more surpassed the record-high efficiency of the earlier quarter as a result of elevated gross sales of excessive value-added merchandise,” SK Hynix mentioned in an announcement.
HBM falls into the broader class of dynamic random entry reminiscence, or DRAM — a kind of semiconductor reminiscence used to retailer information and program code that may be present in PCs, workstations and servers.
The corporate mentioned it’s going to start supplying its next-generation HBM4 chips within the present quarter, following negotiations with unspecified clients. The chips signify the sixth era of HBM know-how.
HBM chief
SK Hynix has set itself aside within the DRAM market by getting an early lead in HBM and establishing itself as the primary provider to the world’s main AI chip designer, Nvidia.
Nevertheless, its major rivals, U.S.-based Micron and South Korean-based tech large Samsung, have been working to catch up within the area.
Micron has already equipped Nvidia with a few of its HBM know-how, whereas Samsung not too long ago handed Nvidia’s qualification assessments for a sophisticated HBM product, in keeping with an area report final month.
“With the innovation of AI know-how, the reminiscence market has shifted to a brand new paradigm and demand has begun to unfold to all product areas,” SK Hynix Chief Monetary Officer Kim Woohyun mentioned within the earnings launch.
“We’ll proceed to strengthen our AI reminiscence management by responding to buyer demand by means of market-leading merchandise and differentiated technological capabilities,” he added.
The HBM market is predicted to proceed to growth over the subsequent few years to round $43 billion by 2027, giving robust earnings leverage to reminiscence producers resembling SK Hynix, MS Hwang, analysis director at Counterpoint Analysis, advised CNBC.
“[F]or SK Hynix to proceed producing income, it’s going to be essential for the corporate to take care of and improve its aggressive edge,” he added.
A report from Counterpoint Analysis earlier this month confirmed that SK Hynix held a number one 38% share of the DRAM market by income within the second quarter of the yr, growing its shares after having overtaken Samsung within the first quarter.
The report added that the worldwide HBM market grew 178% yr over yr within the second quarter, and SK Hynix dominated the area with a 64% share. Samsung will report its earnings on Thursday.
Ray Wang, analysis director for semiconductors, provide chain and rising know-how at Futurum Group, advised CNBC that he expects SK Hynix to take care of its dominant management within the HBM market by means of subsequent yr, due to its technological edge.
“The corporate is more likely to maintain round 60% international HBM market share, underpinned by its place as the first provider to key clients resembling Nvidia, Google and different main clients,” he added.
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