SK Hynix recorded an operating profit in the 60th trillion won range for the second quarter of this year, once again shattering its quarterly all-time record. Fueled by surging demand for AI (artificial intelligence), it surpassed last year’s full-year operating profit (47.2063 trillion won) within a single quarter.
SK Hynix announced on the 29th that consolidated sales reached 79.3187 trillion won and operating profit hit 60.5426 trillion won for the second quarter of 2026. Sales increased by 257% year-on-year, while operating profit surged by 557%. Both figures represent record highs in the company’s history. Notably, operating profit rose by more than 22 trillion won compared to the previous all-time high set in the first quarter (37.6103 trillion won).
The operating profit margin, a key indicator of profitability, reached 76.3%. This significantly exceeds TSMC’s second-quarter operating profit margin of 60.3% by more than 15 percentage points. TSMC is widely regarded as the “profitability barometer” in the global semiconductor industry.
This performance is analyzed to have been driven by a shortage in memory supply due to expanding AI demand. As memory semiconductor products, including HBM (high-bandwidth memory), general-purpose DRAM, and NAND flash, became increasingly difficult to secure, prices surged across the board. According to market research firm TrendForce, contract prices for general-purpose DRAM rose 58–63% quarter-on-quarter in the second quarter of this year, while NAND prices increased by 55–60%. Prices for both general-purpose DRAM and NAND are expected to continue rising in the third quarter, with projected increases of 13–18% and 10–15%, respectively, compared to the previous quarter.
Meanwhile, SK Hynix is scheduled to hold its first-quarter 2026 earnings announcement conference call at 9:00 a.m. today.
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