The AI boom is pushing South Korea’s chip giants to historic profits. SK Hynix has overtaken Samsung for the first time as the country’s most profitable company.
Samsung and SK Hynix both reported record results for the fourth quarter. Samsung tripled its profit to roughly $15.5 billion, while SK Hynix doubled earnings to about $14.7 billion.
🚀 SK Hynix takes the profit lead: In 2025, SK posts around $36bn in profit, overtaking Samsung at roughly $30bn. Samsung remains the revenue giant with about $255bn (+11%), while SK Hynix grows much faster, reaching around $97bn in revenue (+47%).
The details
SK pivot: SK Hynix is fully focused on premium AI chips and is the technology leader, already shipping HBM3E at scale and being furthest ahead on HBM4.
Samsung benefits too: The Device Solutions division delivered 16.4 trillion won (~$12.6 billion) in operating profit, driven by HBM and DRAM. Supply tightness is pushing up prices for PC and mobile memory.
Scarcity drives prices: Citigroup expects DRAM prices to jump by up to 120%, and NAND by around 90%.
Markets cheer: SK Hynix announced share buybacks of roughly $11 billion (14.3 trillion won) and plans an additional $10 billion of U.S. investment for its AI business.
Sector context
Instead of classic boom-bust cycles, AI’s hunger for HBM is delivering sustained utilization and margins. Hyperscalers are paying premium prices, while conventional memory segments face growing supply constraints.
Both Korean giants are now racing for Nvidia certification for HBM4. Whoever secures it at scale first will shape the next generation of AI infrastructure.
👉 Full story: Korea Herald, Yonhap, CNBC, Business Times
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