AI Memory Demand Lifts SK Hynix Q3 Profit Past Forecasts

WHO:

CNBC - SK Hynix Inc. is a South Korean chipmaker.

CNBC - SK Hynix said it has long-term agreements with 14 major customers.

Bloomberg Markets - Counterpoint Research Director MS Hwang discussed the results in the context of broader industry trends.

WHAT:

Yahoo Finance - SK Hynix’s net profit rose 215.7% to 39.77 trillion won, below the analyst consensus of 59.67 trillion won, according to Yonhap.

Yahoo Finance - U.S.-listed SK Hynix shares rose 8% in premarket trading to $156.78; AFP reported Korea-listed shares gained 11%.

Yahoo Finance - Micron shares rose about 4%, SanDisk about 5%, and Western Digital less than 2% in premarket trading.

Yahoo Finance - SK Hynix said it would return most gains from its Kioxia investment through special dividends; the article said the company had not provided a split between dividends and buybacks or a timeline for the plan.

Bloomberg Markets - SK Hynix’s additional 2026 shareholder-return program was valued at 100 trillion won ($75 billion).

Bloomberg Markets - SK Hynix planned to return about $45 billion more to shareholders after its profit surged seven-fold.

Reuters - Chinese memory-chip maker CXMT planned to begin producing HBM3E despite reported yields of only 20% to 30%; sources said its HBM3E performance was closer to SK Hynix’s previous-generation HBM3.

Bloomberg - Chinese AI-chip maker Moore Threads reported third-quarter revenue growth of 1,774% year over year to about $240 million and net profit of about $7.4 million; it was building a domestic 100,000-GPU cluster with JD.com.

Yahoo Finance - Micron had locked in more than 75% of its fiscal 2027 shipments through 26 strategic customer agreements.

Yahoo Finance - Micron was co-designing HBM4E with NVIDIA and had “increased that pricing significantly for calendar year '27.”

Fast Company - SK Hynix shares closed 10.89% higher after its earnings results; the stock was up 128.42% year to date but down 16.27% over the prior 30 days.

Fast Company - Nasdaq-listed SK Hynix shares rose more than 7% in premarket trading.

Fast Company - Samsung Electronics shares closed 9.01% higher; the stock was up 101.83% year to date and down 9.87% over the prior month.

Fast Company - South Korea’s KOSPI Index closed 6.63% higher but was down 12.73% for the month.

Fast Company - Micron shares rose 3.97% and Sandisk shares rose 4.91% in premarket trading.

Wall Street Journal - SK Hynix’s net profit more than tripled in the third quarter.

Wall Street Journal - SK Hynix plans to return more than $22 billion in dividends and about $15 billion in buybacks, in addition to a roughly $30 billion buyback program completed in August.

CNBC - SK Hynix reported record third-quarter revenue of 104.62 trillion won ($78.86 billion), compared with 98.34 trillion won expected by LSEG SmartEstimates.

CNBC - Operating profit was 83.33 trillion won, compared with 76.72 trillion won expected.

Techmeme - CNBC reported revenue of about $78.8 billion versus an estimate of about $74.07 billion, and operating profit of about $62.76 billion versus an estimate of about $57.78 billion.

CNBC - Revenue increased 327.9% year over year and 31.9% from the previous quarter; operating profit rose 632.1% year over year and 37.6% from the previous quarter.

CNBC - Quarterly sales exceeded 100 trillion won for the first time.

CNBC - SK Hynix announced plans to return about 100 trillion won to shareholders, including at least 30 trillion won in cash dividends and 60 trillion won in share buybacks and cancellations.

CNBC - The company approved a third-quarter dividend of 14 trillion won, including a special dividend funded by gains from its investment in Kioxia.

CNBC - SK Hynix will buy back 20 trillion won in shares; half of those shares will be cancelled.

Bloomberg Markets - SK Hynix unveiled an additional shareholder-return program for 2026 worth 100 trillion won ($75 billion).

CNBC - SK Hynix expects HBM4 to exceed HBM3E in shipments and revenue in the fourth quarter.

CNBC - HBM is advanced memory used alongside AI processors to handle large amounts of data; HBM4 is the technology’s sixth generation.

CNBC - Agreements with 14 customers cover more than 50% of SK Hynix’s production capacity for 2027 and 2028.

CNBC - SK Hynix expects memory demand to outpace supply through 2030 and plans to significantly increase investment next year.

CNBC - SK Hynix had announced plans to repurchase and cancel 40 trillion won of its shares and raise its shareholder-return target to more than 50% of cumulative free cash flow generated between 2025 and 2027.

CNBC - SK Hynix’s U.S. subsidiary Solidigm halted its review of potential pre-IPO fundraising and IPO options; the company said it would continue assessing investment timing, scale, and financing options.

Techmeme - The quarterly results were described as driven by an AI memory boost.

Bloomberg Markets - Bloomberg described the profit increase as a stronger-than-expected seven-fold surge amid demand for AI hardware.

WHERE:

CNBC - SK Hynix is based in South Korea; it is ramping up production at its M15X facility in Cheongju, South Korea.

CNBC - SK Hynix signage is shown at the company’s office in Seongnam, South Korea.

WHY:

The Register - SK Hynix predicted memory shortages would persist until at least 2030.

Fast Company - Memory stocks had benefited from an AI-infrastructure-driven memory shortage, but had cooled after reaching record highs over the summer.

CNBC - SK Hynix linked its record results to strong demand for memory used in AI hardware.

CNBC - Solidigm paused its review of fundraising and IPO options, citing market volatility and share-price trends.

Bloomberg Markets - The shareholder-return program was presented amid relentless demand for AI hardware.

HOW:

CNBC - SK Hynix is ramping up M15X production as it prepares to increase HBM4 output.

CNBC - The company plans shareholder returns through cash dividends, share buybacks, and share cancellations.

(UPDATED October 28, 2026 19:01 UTC)

South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix reported record third-quarter revenue of 104.62 trillion won and operating profit of 83.33 trillion won, as strong demand for AI memory drove sharp growth, though net profit fell short of analyst expectations. The company announced a shareholder-return program worth about 100 trillion won, combining dividends and share buybacks, and said long-term agreements with 14 major customers cover more than half its production capacity for 2027 and 2028. SK Hynix expects memory demand to outpace supply through 2030 and is ramping up production of its next-generation HBM4 chips, while its shares and other memory stocks rose in premarket trading.

(UPDATED October 28, 2026 16:02 UTC)

SK Hynix reported record third-quarter revenue of 104.62 trillion won and operating profit of 83.33 trillion won, as booming demand for AI memory drove profits sharply higher. The South Korean chipmaker announced a 100 trillion won shareholder-return program, including cash dividends and share buybacks, and said long-term agreements with 14 customers cover more than half its production capacity for 2027 and 2028. SK Hynix is ramping up production for its next-generation HBM4 memory, while Micron also reported strong customer commitments and Chinese chipmakers are pushing to expand domestic AI hardware.

(UPDATED October 28, 2026 14:01 UTC)

South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix reported record third-quarter revenue of 104.62 trillion won, while net profit more than tripled, as demand for memory used in AI hardware surged. The company plans to return about 100 trillion won to shareholders through dividends, buybacks and share cancellations, and has agreements with 14 major customers covering more than half of its production capacity for 2027 and 2028. SK Hynix shares closed 10.89% higher, and the company expects demand to outpace supply through 2030 as it expands production and prepares to increase output of its next-generation HBM4 memory.

(UPDATED October 28, 2026 03:00 UTC)

South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix reported record third-quarter revenue of 104.62 trillion won and operating profit of 83.33 trillion won, as net profit more than tripled amid strong demand for AI memory. The company plans to return about 100 trillion won to shareholders through dividends and buybacks, and said long-term agreements with 14 major customers cover more than half its production capacity for 2027 and 2028. SK Hynix is ramping up production of advanced HBM4 memory and expects demand for memory to outpace supply through 2030.

(UPDATED October 28, 2026 02:04 UTC)

South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix posted record third-quarter revenue of 104.62 trillion won and operating profit of 83.33 trillion won, both above expectations, as demand for memory used in AI hardware surged. The company plans to return about 100 trillion won to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks, including canceling half of the shares it repurchases, and says agreements with 14 major customers cover more than half its production capacity for 2027 and 2028. SK Hynix expects HBM4 shipments and revenue to surpass HBM3E in the fourth quarter, is ramping up production at its Cheongju facility, and says memory demand could outpace supply through 2030.