SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - SK hynix rewrote the record books in the second quarter as booming demand for artificial intelligence memory chips drove another quarter of historic earnings, though operating profit fell short of lofty market expectations.
Operating profit for the April-June period came to 60.54 trillion won, up 61 percent from 37.61 trillion won recorded in the previous quarter.
The figure fell short of the market consensus of approximately 64.1 trillion won, according to financial data provider FnGuide.
Revenue reached 79.32 trillion won, up 51 percent from 52.58 trillion won posted in the first quarter.
The world's second-largest memory chipmaker attributed the performance to solid demand for high-value AI memory products, including High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) chips and enterprise solid-state drives (eSSDs).
Operating margin came in at 76 percent, compared with 72 percent in the previous quarter, reflecting a richer product mix centered on premium AI memory products.
Net profit for the quarter totaled 93.92 trillion won, compared with 40.35 trillion won in the January-March period.
The company said it expects structural growth in AI memory demand to continue as major technology companies expand investments in AI infrastructure. It added that it has completed long-term supply agreement negotiations with around 10 customers, including key clients, while continuing discussions with other major customers to secure stable medium- to long-term supply.
SK hynix said it began mass shipments of its HBM4 products in the second quarter and plans to ramp up production in the second half of the year. It also said HBM4E samples have already been supplied to customers and were developed using an optimized process designed for mass production.
The company said it would continue to strengthen production capacity while maintaining capital expenditure discipline, accelerating the ramp-up of its M15X fab and preparing to expand production at its first Yongin fab after the cleanroom opens in early 2027.
SK hynix has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the global AI spending boom, strengthening its position in the High Bandwidth Memory market by supplying advanced HBM chips to major AI chipmakers, including Nvidia.
The earnings come as investors closely watch whether the AI investment cycle can sustain record demand for advanced memory chips and whether the company can maintain its technology leadership as competition intensifies with Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology.
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