SK hynix Tops Samsung Again in Memory Chip Market

SK hynix has once again taken the top spot in the global memory chip market, outpacing Samsung Electronics for the second consecutive quarter. This shift comes as both companies released their financial results for the quarter ending June 30, 2025.

According to SK hynix's earnings report, the company achieved record-breaking quarterly revenue of 22.23 trillion KRW, marking a 35% year-over-year increase and exceeding analyst expectations of 20.56 trillion KRW. Operating profit surged 69% to 9.21 trillion KRW, and net profit jumped 70% to 6.996 trillion KRW. The company also posted an impressive 41% operating margin and a 31% net profit margin.

In comparison, Samsung Electronics reported consolidated revenue of 74.6 trillion KRW for the same quarter, up just 0.7% year-over-year and down 5.8% quarter-on-quarter. Its operating profit plummeted 55% to 4.7 trillion KRW—the lowest in six quarters. Samsung's memory division generated 21.2 trillion KRW in revenue, down 3% year-over-year but up 11% sequentially. While Samsung didn't disclose standalone profits for its memory business, its overall semiconductor division (DS) saw operating profit drop 93.8% to 0.4 trillion KRW. The company cited inventory write-downs and export-related one-time costs in China as major profit hurdles.

With memory business revenue surpassing Samsung's for two consecutive quarters, SK hynix is steadily widening the gap. A major contributor to this lead is SK hynix's dominance in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) segment—critical for AI and high-performance computing. The company holds over 70% of the HBM market and plays a vital role in supporting top-tier AI chipmakers like NVIDIA.

Industry analysts project SK hynix's DRAM revenue to reach $49.6 billion in 2025, surpassing Samsung's estimated $46.4 billion. Notably, HBM's share in SK hynix's revenue mix has grown significantly—from just 3% in 2019 to an expected 42% in 2025. This leadership shift underscores how AI memory innovation and strategic partnerships are reshaping the competitive landscape of the global semiconductor memory market.