SK Hynix Posts Record 83.3 Trillion Won Quarterly Operating Profit on AI Memory Demand

South Korean memory-chip manufacturer SK Hynix reported record third-quarter operating profit on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, as higher memory prices and demand from artificial-intelligence data centres drove another sharp increase in earnings.

Operating profit reached approximately 83.33 trillion won for the July–September period, more than seven times the 11.4 trillion won recorded a year earlier. The figure exceeded market expectations of roughly 77 trillion won. Revenue rose 328% from a year earlier to approximately 104.62 trillion won, according to the company's reported results.

The results reflect demand for both high-bandwidth memory, which is used alongside advanced AI processors, and more conventional DRAM used in servers. SK Hynix also supplies NAND flash storage, including products for data-centre systems. Strong prices have boosted chipmakers' revenue even as customers face higher component costs.

Net profit increased to approximately 39.78 trillion won but fell short of the 61.29 trillion won consensus cited by Korea JoongAng Daily. That difference means the record operating result should not be confused with an equally strong performance against expectations on the bottom line. Operating profit measures earnings from the company's main activities before certain financing, tax and other items.

SK Hynix also outlined shareholder returns totalling approximately 100 trillion won during 2026, including cash dividends of about 30 trillion won and repurchases and cancellations of roughly 60 trillion won. Reuters reported that 40 trillion won of the repurchase component had been announced in August. The amounts represent the company's stated capital-return programme, not a new 100-trillion-won cash payment completed on Wednesday.

The company said it expects memory demand to remain above available supply through 2030. It reported long-term agreements with 14 major customers and said the volume already contracted represents more than half of its production capacity for 2027 and 2028. Such agreements can improve planning visibility, although future sales and prices will still depend on customer orders, contract terms and industry supply.

The announcement came as global technology companies continue investing in computing capacity for AI models and services. The results provide evidence of how spending on AI infrastructure is affecting semiconductor suppliers, but they do not guarantee that today's memory-chip prices or growth rates will persist.