SK Hynix's Q2 profit is expected to reach 60-70 trillion won, driven by demand for AI memory to reach new highs.

According to Mars Finance, on June 19th, market analysts generally predict that SK Hynix's operating profit for the second quarter of 2026 will be between 60 trillion and 70 trillion won, far exceeding the record high of 37.6 trillion won set in the first quarter. The Q1 financial report released in April showed that SK Hynix's revenue reached 52.58 trillion won, with an operating profit of 37.61 trillion won and an operating profit margin as high as 72%, both setting new quarterly records. Strong demand and rising prices for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and high-end DRAM were the core drivers of the performance surge. Company management pointed out that the structural memory shortage caused by AI infrastructure will continue for at least three years. Entering the second quarter, the expectation of rising memory prices further boosted the profit outlook. Analysts predict that DRAM and NAND contract prices will rise by more than 50% to 70% quarter-on-quarter. With a high-profit product structure, every slight increase in price has a significant leverage effect on SK Hynix. Current market consensus indicates a median operating profit of approximately 62 trillion to 64 trillion won for Q2, with some brokerages such as Kiwoom Securities raising their forecasts to 70 trillion won, compared to an earlier consensus of around 40 trillion won. This optimistic expectation is already reflected in the stock price. SK Hynix has seen a cumulative increase of over 300% this year, and its market capitalization briefly surpassed $1 trillion at the end of May, becoming the second Asian chip company after Samsung Electronics to join the "trillion-dollar club." In comparison, Samsung Electronics' Q2 memory business profit is also expected to reach 70 trillion won, and the combined industry profit contributed by these two South Korean giants is rapidly expanding. Despite uncertainties surrounding geopolitical factors and the pace of AI capital expenditure, SK Hynix's HBM technology barriers and long-term supply-demand mismatch give it a clear advantage in the current upward cycle of memory technology. The company's Q2 financial report is expected to be released in late July, at which time the market will test the extent to which these aggressive expectations have materialized. For investors focusing on AI, SK Hynix remains one of the most direct beneficiaries.