[Edaily Reporter JAEMIN SONG ] Following SamsungElectronics, SK hynix has also forecast record-breaking earnings for the second quarter of this year, with the combined quarterly operating profit of the two companies expected to exceed 150 trillion won for the first time. Analysts attribute this to the ongoing memory boom, driven by increased investment in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, which is boosting demand for high-value-added memory products—including high-bandwidth memory (HBM)—while simultaneously constraining the supply of general-purpose products.

According to financial information provider FnGuide Inc. on the 26th, the consensus estimates for SK hynix—which is set to announce its second-quarter earnings on the 29th—are 84.1693 trillion won in revenue and 64.2448 trillion won in operating profit. These figures represent increases of 278.6% and 597.3%, respectively, compared to the same period last year, and the company is expected to set another all-time high following its first-quarter results.

The projected operating profit margin is 76.3%, 4.8 percentage points higher than the previous quarter (71.5%). With increased sales of high-margin products such as HBM, high-capacity server DRAM, and enterprise solid-state drives (SSDs), coupled with rising DRAM and NAND prices, the company is highly likely to achieve a “dream operating profit margin.” If these projections hold true, SK hynix will outperform the operating profit margin of TSMC, the world’s largest foundry, for the third consecutive quarter. With TSMC’s second-quarter operating profit margin at 60.3%, the gap between the two companies is expected to widen to around 16 percentage points.

Earlier, SamsungElectronics announced its preliminary second-quarter results, reporting an operating profit of 89.4 trillion won, driven by strong performance in its semiconductor business. If SK hynix meets market expectations, the combined operating profit of the two companies will exceed 150 trillion won. SamsungElectronics will release detailed results by business division on the 30th, the day after SK hynix announces its earnings.

Attention is also turning to the sustainability of this boom. As North American Big Tech companies expand their investments in AI data centers, the supply capacity for general-purpose memory is shrinking due to the increasing proportion of HBM production.

Kim Dong-won, Head of Research at KB Securities, said, “With the growing proportion of long-term supply contracts, the share of revenue from Big Tech and AI data centers is expected to expand to 70 percent,” adding, “This will mitigate profit volatility and improve the predictability of earnings.”