SK Hynix Scraps Memory Contract Price Caps as AI Demand Surges

SK Hynix has become a prime beneficiary of the AI infrastructure boom, using its lead in high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, to supply chips that feed data to AI accelerators. Demand for HBM, server DRAM and enterprise solid-state drives, combined with sharply higher memory prices, has turned a cyclical recovery into a semiconductor supercycle. KB Securities estimated that global technology companies and AI data-center operators represented about 70% of second-quarter revenue.

On July 29, SK Hynix reported 2026 second-quarter revenue of 79.32 trillion won and operating profit of 60.54 trillion won, up 257% and 557% from a year earlier, respectively. Its operating margin reached 76%. Net profit surged to 93.92 trillion won, producing a 118% net margin, as all three measures set quarterly records. Even so, revenue and operating profit missed a 14-brokerage consensus of 84.1 trillion won and 64.1 trillion won, showing how elevated expectations have become.

SK Hynix is a major South Korean memory-chip maker and a key supplier of high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, to NVIDIA. As generative AI and high-performance computing expand, HBM has become a critical component in AI accelerators, prompting investors to reassess the company’s growth potential and industry position.

In the latest trading as of July 2026, SK Hynix’s market capitalization exceeded $1 trillion, making it the third Asian company to cross that threshold. Its shares have doubled so far this year and reached a record high, bringing its market value close to that of Samsung Electronics. Micron also crossed the $1 trillion mark over the same period, while UBS raised its price target for the company to $1,525.

SK Hynix is a leading global supplier of DRAM and NAND memory and a major producer of high-bandwidth memory for AI servers. As investment in generative AI infrastructure expands, rising purchases of servers and enterprise SSDs have made memory prices a key driver of the company’s earnings and share price.

KB Securities raised its price target for SK Hynix to 1.9 million won in its latest report and forecast that the company’s operating profit could reach 40 trillion won in the first quarter of 2026, far above market expectations. The report said demand from AI servers and enterprise SSDs was driving sharp increases in DRAM and NAND prices, with that momentum expected to continue supporting the business.