Tech & AI
SK hynix posts 83.3 trillion won quarterly operating profit at an 80% margin and plans a 100 trillion won shareholder payout
The Korean memory maker's first quarter above 100 trillion won of revenue was driven by AI chip demand, and it says supply will stay short through 2030.
HedgeWeekly Tech & AI Desk ·
SK hynix, the South Korean maker of the memory chips used in artificial-intelligence servers, reported third-quarter revenue of 104.6 trillion won on October 28, its first quarter above 100 trillion won. Revenue was up 328% from a year earlier and 32% from the previous quarter, according to figures carried by Yonhap and the Korea Times.
Operating profit came to 83.3 trillion won, up 632% on the year and about 80% of revenue, with net profit of 39.8 trillion won. The company said the results are preliminary and subject to audit.
The board approved a 14 trillion won third-quarter dividend and a new 20 trillion won buyback. For 2026 the company plans to return about 100 trillion won (roughly $75 billion), including at least 30 trillion won in dividends and at least 60 trillion won in buybacks and share cancellations. On products, SK hynix said shipments of HBM4, the latest high-bandwidth memory stacked next to AI processors, began in earnest this quarter and are expected to become its main product from the fourth quarter. Long-term agreements already cover more than half of 2027 and 2028 capacity, and it expects demand to exceed supply through 2030, a view that is the company's own.
Why it matters: the results show how much of the AI spending boom is landing in memory, and they arrive as Korean chip groups have lost market value this month. Investors will watch whether HBM4 pricing holds as the supply of rival makers grows, whether the payout supports the shares, and whether the company's own demand forecast survives any slowdown in data-centre orders.