SK hynix posts record 83.33 trillion won quarterly profit on AI memory demand

Focal Brief

SK hynix reported record third-quarter operating profit of 83.33 trillion won on October 28, beating Bloomberg’s 77.5 trillion-won analyst estimate as AI infrastructure demand strengthened sales and prices for advanced memory.

Focal Facts

• Third-quarter revenue reached 104.62 trillion won, up 32% from the previous quarter.
• Operating margin was 80%, while net profit totaled 39.78 trillion won.
• SK hynix said the consolidated K-IFRS figures were preliminary and subject to change during the audit.

Focal Point

The next measurable signal is whether HBM4 surpasses HBM3E in both shipment volume and revenue during the fourth quarter, as SK hynix expects. That transition would test whether its record profitability can extend beyond the latest pricing surge.

Operating profit increased 38% from the second quarter and 632% from a year earlier, according to SK hynix’s preliminary results. Quarterly revenue exceeded 100 trillion won for the first time, supported by higher memory prices and increased sales of server DDR5, HBM4 and enterprise solid-state drives.

The company said HBM4 shipments had begun in earnest and plans to raise production capacity at its M15X facility by year-end. It also said long-term agreements with 14 customers cover more than half of its total production capacity for 2027 and 2028, though those contracts and management’s demand outlook do not guarantee future earnings.

SK hynix separately outlined about 100 trillion won in shareholder returns for 2026 and said it had discontinued consideration of an initial public offering for its Solidigm subsidiary. The consequential question is whether the HBM4 ramp and contracted demand can preserve pricing and margins as investment and industry capacity expand.