SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the world's two largest memory makers based in South Korea, are set to report record earnings on the same day - Thursday - this week in full display of the strength of the current semiconductor upcycle.
Instead of numbers, the market would be watching what the leading chipmakers would reveal about their high-bandwidth memory (HBM) strategies and capacity plans during conference calls.
It will be the first time the two companies announce earnings on the same day. Industry watchers suspect SK hynix, which has traditionally reported after Samsung, adjusted its schedule to limit advance disclosure of sensitive information, including HBM supply plans.
Samsung on Jan. 8 released preliminary fourth-quarter results showing revenue of 93 trillion won and operating profit of 20 trillion won, both quarterly records. The figures marked year-on-year increases of 22.7 percent and 208.2 percent, respectively.
The strong performance was driven by Samsung’s Device Solutions (DS) division, centered on memory chips. Securities analysts estimate DS operating profit exceeded 16 trillion won, with the memory business alone generating more than 17 trillion won in operating profit.
In contrast, Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) division, which includes consumer electronics, underperformed amid sluggish demand and cost pressures linked to memory chips. Operating profit at the Mobile eXperience (MX) unit is estimated to have fallen to around 1.5 trillion won, down from 3.6 trillion won in the previous quarter.
SK hynix is also expected to renew quarterly record, just one quarter after joining the “10 trillion won club” for the first time in its history.
According to financial data firm FnGuide, SK hynix’s fourth-quarter consensus forecast calls for revenue of 30.519 trillion won and operating profit of 16.062 trillion won, up 54.39 percent and 98.72 percent from a year earlier. The estimate would mark its first quarter surpassing 30 trillion won in revenue, with some brokerages expecting operating profit to exceed current projections.
Consensus estimates for full-year operating profit in 2025 stand at 43.53 trillion won for Samsung and 44.4 trillion won for SK hynix.
As semiconductors enter what the market describes as a “super cycle,” some analysts project the two companies’ combined operating profit could reach 200 trillion won this year, with Samsung alone estimated to post 120 trillion won.
Investors are closely watching commentary on next-generation HBM, including supply plans for HBM4 and mass production timelines for HBM4E, a seventh-generation product. SK hynix will begin its conference call at 9 a.m., followed by Samsung at 10 a.m.
During third-quarter earnings calls in October, both companies said all HBM production capacity for 2026 had already been sold out.
Competition is expected to intensify this year after Samsung — previously seen as trailing SK hynix in HBM — confirmed shipments of its 12-layer HBM3E products to Nvidia.
“Their HBM guidance will offer important clues about the future direction of their semiconductor strategies,” a semiconductor industry official said.
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