SK Hynix's US revenue hits $20b as AI chip demand surges

SK Hynix reported that nearly 70% of its sales in the first half of 2025 came from the US, driven by high demand for advanced memory chips used in AI.

The South Korean chipmaker posted US revenue of 27.8 trillion won (US$20 billion) from January to June, accounting for 69.8% of its total sales of 39.9 trillion won (US$28.71 billion).

Sales at SK Hynix America reached 24.7 trillion won (US$17.8 million), up from 12.2 trillion won (US$8.8 million) year-on-year.

The company cited strong demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, which are used in AI accelerators and supplied to clients including Nvidia.

SK Hynix’s China revenue dropped to 7.4 trillion (US$5.3 million) won, down from 8.6 trillion won (US$6.19 million) a year earlier.

The company reduced its borrowings by 842 billion won (US$607 million) in the first half, with total debt at 21.8 trillion won (US$15.71 million) at the end of June.

R&D spending reached 3 trillion won (US$2.16 billion), while capital expenditure rose to 11.2 trillion won (US$8.08 billion).

🔗 Source: The Korea Herald

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ SK Hynix capitalizes on explosive HBM market growth that’s reshaping memory industry

The company’s revenue surge reflects a broader transformation in the memory chip market, where HBM has become the fastest-growing segment.

The global HBM market is projected to grow from $856.78 million in 2023 to $48,925.41 million by 2030, representing a CAGR of 68.08%1.

This growth is driven by AI workload demands, with HBM revenue expected to nearly double to approximately $34 billion in 2025 alone2.

SK Hynix has positioned itself as a market leader by achieving world-first mass production of 12-layer HBM3E technology in September 20241. This technological edge helps explain why HBM chips accounted for 77% of the company’s Q2 2025 revenue3.

The broader memory market recovery is notable. Total memory market revenue reached a record $170 billion in 2024 and is projected to approach $200 billion in 20252, showing how AI demand has revitalized an industry that faced downturns in 2022-2023.