SEOUL — South Korea's leading memory chipmakers, SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, are advancing their artificial intelligence-related semiconductor strategies as strong demand for high-performance memory continues to reshape the global market, even as companies adjust production plans to respond to shifting supply and profitability dynamics.
SK Hynix on Monday launched a roughly $28 billion U.S. American Depositary Receipt offering ahead of a planned Nasdaq debut, seeking to broaden access to global investors and raise capital for additional semiconductor manufacturing capacity and advanced equipment purchases, according to company filings and Reuters. The company said the proceeds will help expand production to meet long-term AI-driven demand for advanced memory chips.
The world's second-largest memory chipmaker has emerged as a leading supplier of high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a critical component used alongside AI accelerators in data centers. Demand for HBM has accelerated as technology companies expand investments in generative AI infrastructure, tightening supplies across the broader memory market.
At the same time, Samsung Electronics is expected to report another quarter of sharply higher earnings, supported by robust demand for AI memory products. Analysts surveyed by Reuters forecast record quarterly operating profit as higher memory prices and continued purchases of AI-related chips offset weakness in some consumer electronics segments.
Industry analysts say both companies are balancing investment in next-generation HBM products with production of conventional DRAM, where supplies have tightened after manufacturers redirected capacity toward AI-focused memory.
Recent industry reports indicate SK Hynix has moderated the pace of expanding certain HBM4 production lines while allocating additional resources to conventional DRAM, reflecting stronger-than-expected profitability in that segment amid supply shortages. The company has not indicated any reduction in its long-term commitment to AI memory technologies.
Samsung, meanwhile, continues investing heavily to strengthen its position in advanced memory products, seeking to narrow the competitive gap in HBM while benefiting from broader demand across both AI and conventional memory markets. Analysts expect AI-related spending by cloud computing providers and technology companies to remain a key driver of memory demand through the coming quarters.
The developments come as investors increasingly focus on companies supplying AI infrastructure. While AI demand has fueled record earnings and share-price gains for major memory manufacturers, analysts continue to monitor whether capacity expansion, customer spending patterns and broader economic conditions could influence the pace of growth in the semiconductor sector.
