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SK hynix posts $5.2 billion Q1 profit on strong HBM chip sales

Published: 24 Apr. 2025, 10:29

SK Hynix's logo is seen at its booth during the 26th Semiconductor Exhibition in Seoul on Oct. 23, 2024. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

SK hynix posted a forecast-beating first-quarter operating profit of 7.44 trillion won ($5.2 billion), driven by robust sales of its fifth-generation high bandwidth memory (HBM3E) chips, according to the firm’s regulatory filing on Thursday.

This marks a 157.8 percent increase compared to the same period last year, surpassing market expectations by a wide margin.

The company’s operating profit beat the market consensus of 6.75 trillion won compiled by financial data tracker Yonhap Infomax, exceeding projections by 10.2 percent.

First-quarter revenue came in at 17.64 trillion won, up 41.9 percent on year, while net income rose to 8.11 trillion won, a 323 percent jump.

Although the figures trail the company’s record-breaking performance in the fourth quarter of last year — when it reported revenue of 19.77 trillion won and operating profit of 8.08 trillion won — the latest results mark the highest-ever first-quarter earnings.

The previous first-quarter record stood at 12.43 trillion won in revenue in 2023 and 4.37 trillion won in operating profit in 2018.

SK hynix’s operating margin improved by one percentage point from the previous quarter to 42 percent, continuing its upward trend for the eighth consecutive quarter.

“The memory market improved faster than expected in the first quarter due to the ongoing AI development race and inventory buildup,” the company said. “We responded by expanding sales of high-value products such as the 12-layer HBM3E and DDR5.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE HAY-JUNE [[email protected]]