SK hynix Posts Record Revenue of More Than 100 Trillion Won; $63 Billion in Financing for Anthropic
Key Facts
SK hynix posted record revenue of 104.6155 trillion won in the third quarter of 2026, surpassing the 100 trillion won mark for the first time, with operating profit of 83.3338 trillion won and net profit of 39.7756 trillion won, according to a company statement on October 28. The results were announced as technology companies expand investment in the computing infrastructure needed for AI workloads, according to Reuters. In a parallel development, Broadcom announced on October 26 financing worth $63 billion to provide XPU accelerators and networking solutions for Anthropic. The two developments reflect different aspects of the surge in demand for computing, from memory and chips to financing the capacity used by AI companies. SK hynix said that “prices for key products rose amid growing demand for AI memory.”
SK hynix revenue rose 32% from the second quarter, when it was 79.3187 trillion won, while operating profit increased 38% from 60.5426 trillion won. Year over year, revenue rose 328% and operating profitability increased 632%, the company said. Net profit, however, fell 58% from the second quarter, when it was 93.9226 trillion won, although it rose 216% from the third quarter of 2025. The operating profit margin was 80% in the third quarter, a record level, according to the company statement. The comparison shows net profit moving differently from revenue and operating profit on a quarterly basis, while remaining far above its level a year earlier.
The company attributed its performance to higher prices for its key products as demand for AI memory increased. Results were also supported by higher sales of DDR5 memory used in servers, the start of HBM4 shipments, and broader sales of 321-layer eSSD units, according to its statement. The company is thus moving from the impact of current prices and demand to expanding products aimed at servers and AI-related workloads. In the market, SK hynix shares rose 10.9% in Seoul on October 28 following the earnings report, according to the Associated Press. That move does not establish that every element of sector news was an independent cause of the gain.
SK hynix expects demand to exceed supply in the memory market through 2030, citing the difficulty of advanced manufacturing technologies and the long time needed to build factories. It said HBM4 will become its main product starting in the fourth quarter, and expects it to surpass HBM3E in shipment volume and revenue during that quarter. Long-term agreements signed by the company with 14 customers also cover more than 50% of its production capacity for 2027 and 2028. It plans to expand production and investment as the first phase of its Yongin facility begins full operations in 2027. These plans link expectations of continued supply tightness with securing part of future output through customer contracts.
Alongside its production plans, SK hynix announced shareholder returns of nearly 100 trillion won during fiscal 2026. The plan includes cash dividends of at least 30 trillion won and share buybacks and cancellations worth at least 60 trillion won, according to the company statement. Anthropic’s financing will run through a special-purpose vehicle that buys Broadcom XPU accelerators and networking solutions and then leases them to the company. Bank of America, Citi and Morgan Stanley are arranging financing for the first tranche, while Blackstone is providing the committed portion of the second tranche; Broadcom is providing residual value support to the special-purpose vehicle equivalent to the first tranche. Reuters, citing two people familiar with the matter, reported that the first tranche, or senior debt, is about $43.5 billion, equivalent to 69% of the total financing.
Deliveries of Broadcom equipment tied to the deal are expected to begin in 2027 under its strategic computing agreement with Anthropic. In the near term, Reuters said that expected results from U.S. technology companies during the week and the Federal Reserve’s decision are two upcoming tests of investor sentiment toward AI trades. The financing announcement gave no timing beyond the expected start of deliveries in 2027, while SK hynix set the fourth quarter as the expected point when HBM4 shipments and revenue will surpass HBM3E. The company’s memory market outlook extends through 2030, while customer agreements cover part of planned production capacity for 2027 and 2028.