Seoul: SK hynix Inc. announced its ambition to secure dominant leadership in the sixth-generation high bandwidth memory (HBM), known as HBM4, in the face of anticipated competition from Samsung Electronics Co. The company aims to replicate its success with previous memory generations by capturing a substantial market share in the HBM4 sector.
According to Yonhap News Agency, SK hynix made this declaration during a conference call following their record-breaking earnings report for 2025. The company reported an annual operating profit of 47.2 trillion won (US$33 billion), surpassing Samsung Electronics' performance for the first time, driven by the surge in artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
SK hynix acknowledged the challenges in meeting the full demand of clients despite maximizing production capacity, attributing it to the global demand fueled by AI infrastructure investment. The company anticipates increased competition as other players enter the market.
Currently, SK hynix is in the final stages of preparing for the full-scale production of HBM4, with samples already delivered to Nvidia. Samsung Electronics is also projected to commence extensive production of HBM4 within the year.
SK hynix emphasized its commitment to maintaining its leadership and position as a primary supplier by focusing on performance, mass production capacity, and quality. Industry tracker Counterpoint Research projects that SK hynix will hold 54 percent of the global HBM4 market in 2026, followed by Samsung Electronics at 28 percent, and Micron Technology Inc. at 18 percent.