SK hynix Expects DRAM Bit Shipment Growth in the Mid-20% Range in Q4
Key Facts
SK hynix expects DRAM bit shipments to rise in the fourth quarter of 2026 in the mid-20% range from the previous quarter, guidance that reflects an acceleration in supply as high-bandwidth memory production expands. The company said the increase will come from wider use of the 1c nanometer process and higher HBM4 output as operations at the M15X facility ramp up. DRAM shipments rose by about 10% in the third quarter from the second quarter, the company said. The guidance puts fourth-quarter growth on a stronger sequential path than in the previous quarter, without specifying an exact percentage within the stated range. The company also expects NAND shipments to rise in the fourth quarter in the mid-single-digit range from the third quarter.
The outlook follows strong quarterly results from SK hynix in the third quarter, with revenue reaching 104.6 trillion won, up 32% sequentially and 328% year over year. Revenue exceeded 100 trillion won for the first time in the company's history, according to its statement. Operating profit was 83.3 trillion won, up 38% from the previous quarter and 632% from the same period last year. The operating margin also reached 80%, improving by 3 percentage points sequentially. The company attributed higher prices for its main products to growing demand for AI memory, which supported record revenue and profit.
The company said third-quarter DRAM performance benefited from increased sales of DDR5 memory for servers, with shipments rising by more than 40% from the second quarter. HBM4 shipments began to expand during the quarter, alongside mass production of the new generation, the company said. The HBM4 production increase is part of a plan to expand capacity at M15X, alongside higher output of chips using the 1c nanometer process. SK hynix said operations at the facility will continue ramping up until it reaches full capacity by the end of the year. The move aims to increase HBM4 production, which the company expects to surpass HBM3E in shipment volume and revenue in the fourth quarter.
The quarterly production plan goes beyond the company's outlook for a single product: it expects HBM4 to become the largest product in its HBM memory mix in the fourth quarter by shipments and revenue, and to become a key product. This comes as SK hynix says memory supply will struggle to keep pace with demand. The company estimated that the imbalance will continue through 2030, citing a persistent structure in which demand exceeds supply. It links this outlook to constraints on advanced memory production, given the difficulty of manufacturing it and the time required to build new facilities. That makes increasing capacity at M15X part of its response to rising demand for HBM4 and server memory.
In the stock market, EL7 data showed SK hynix shares closed at $142.25 on November 11, 2026. The data provided does not include a daily share price change or an explanation for the session's movement. An EL7 article published on November 2 discussed the company's expectation that demand would continue to exceed supply through 2030 as HBM4 advances. This comes ahead of the year-end deadline set by the company for ramping M15X up to full capacity. In the fourth quarter, the company is looking for DRAM shipments to rise in the mid-20% range, with HBM4 surpassing HBM3E in shipments and revenue.