SK Hynix second-quarter profit surges 557% to a new high — but misses estimates - CNBC

What the report says

CNBC reported that SK Hynix posted record second-quarter operating profit on Wednesday, but the results still fell short of analysts’ elevated expectations tied to the artificial intelligence chip boom. The South Korean memory-chip maker reported revenue of 79.32 trillion won, or about $54.55 billion, against an LSEG SmartEstimate of 84 trillion won. Operating profit was 60.54 trillion won, below the 64 trillion won estimate.

According to CNBC, revenue for the quarter ended in June rose 257% from a year earlier, while operating profit climbed nearly 557%. Sequentially, revenue increased 51% and operating profit rose 61%. The company attributed the gains to continuing demand from AI infrastructure spending and stronger pricing for high-performance products used in AI servers. SK Hynix also said first-half cumulative revenue topped 100 trillion won for the first time.

Investors reacted negatively despite the growth. CNBC reported that SK Hynix shares fell as much as 15% during Wednesday trading before closing 9.6% lower, while its U.S.-listed shares were down 3.4% at the time of publication. The company said it expects 2026 capital expenditure to reach the high-40-trillion-won range, and it plans to focus investments on growth while maintaining financial discipline and reviewing shareholder-return policies.

The report said SK Hynix is seeking to maximize output at manufacturing sites in Icheon and Yongin, while expanding NAND and advanced packaging capacity in Cheongju. CNBC also noted progress on HBM4 memory products, with mass shipments beginning in the second quarter, underscoring the company’s central role in supplying advanced memory for AI servers and data-center hardware.