SK Hynix Q2 Profit Expected to Reach 60-70 trillion Korean Won, AI Memory Demand Driving Another Record High

**June 19** Market analysts are broadly forecasting that SK Hynix’s Q2 2026 operating profit will land between 60 trillion and 70 trillion Korean won—eclipsing the prior quarterly record of 37.6 trillion won set in Q1. The April-released Q1 financial report showed revenue hit 52.58 trillion won, operating profit reached 37.61 trillion won, and operating margin stood at a blistering 72%—all marking quarterly highs. Red-hot demand and price hikes for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and high-end DRAM were the core drivers of this performance surge. Company management noted that structural memory tightness fueled by AI infrastructure will persist for at least three years. As Q2 kicks off, further upside to memory prices is lifting profit outlooks. Analysts project DRAM and NAND contract prices will climb 50% to over 70% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ). With high-margin product mix, each price hike creates outsized leverage for SK Hynix’s bottom line. The current market consensus pegs Q2 operating profit at a median of ~62–64 trillion won; some brokerages, including Kiwoom Securities, have lifted their forecasts to 70 trillion won, up from prior consensus estimates of just 40 trillion won. This bullish outlook is already priced into the stock. SK Hynix’s shares have jumped more than 300% year-to-date, and its market capitalization topped $1 trillion at the end of May—making it the second Asian chipmaker to join the “$1 trillion club” behind Samsung Electronics. By contrast, the market also forecasts Samsung Electronics’ memory division will post Q2 profit of around 70 trillion won. Combined, the two South Korean giants’ industry profit contributions are expanding rapidly. Amid lingering geopolitical risks and questions about the pace of AI capital spending, SK Hynix boasts a major edge in the current memory upcycle: HBM’s technological moat and a prolonged supply-demand imbalance. The firm’s Q2 earnings report is due out in late July, and investors will closely watch whether it meets or exceeds these lofty projections. For investors focused on AI themes, SK Hynix remains one of the most direct plays on the AI boom.