Driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) wave reshaping the competitive landscape, South Korean memory chip giant SK Hynix's annual profit for 2025 has surpassed that of its rival Samsung for the first time. Concurrently, the company maintains its leading position in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) sector, which is critical for AI chips. Data reveals that SK Hynix achieved a record operating profit of 47.2 trillion won in 2025, exceeding Samsung's 43.6 trillion won. While SK Hynix is almost entirely focused on memory chips, Samsung's business spans multiple sectors—including consumer electronics and foundry chip manufacturing—with its memory chip division contributing approximately 24.9 trillion won in operating profit for 2025.
SK Hynix's success is largely attributed to its leadership in the global HBM market. The company is a key HBM supplier for AI chip leader NVIDIA (NVDA.US), a position that appears to be strengthening further. Reports indicate that SK Hynix has secured roughly 70% of the HBM orders for NVIDIA's latest AI and high-performance computing platform, Vera Rubin. This share significantly surpasses previous market estimates of 50%. Current market projections suggest that in 2026, SK Hynix will capture 54% of the global HBM4 market, with Samsung and Micron Technology (MU.US) following at 28% and 18%, respectively.
MS Hwang, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, stated, "SK Hynix is clearly Asia's standout 'AI winner'." He added that during this phase of booming AI infrastructure, SK Hynix's leadership in the quality and supply of HBM and other chips for AI servers is crucial. He pointed out that even after Samsung reclaimed the top spot in memory revenue rankings in the fourth quarter of 2025, SK Hynix preserved its market leadership in these two areas.
Analyst Cecilia Chan noted that, supported by its accelerated HBM4 R&D progress, superior yields, and a solid supply agreement with NVIDIA, SK Hynix is well-positioned to consolidate its leadership in the HBM market—a market projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of about 25% through 2030—even as Samsung catches up. SK Hynix's plan to invest 19 trillion won (approximately $129 billion) in a new chip packaging plant in Cheongju further demonstrates its confidence in HBM demand and strengthens its market-leading position.
However, competition is intensifying. Although SK Hynix successfully gained an early lead in HBM and secured the largest share of NVIDIA's HBM contracts last year, competitors like Samsung and Micron Technology have been making breakthroughs. Samsung has expanded its HBM sales and stated it will begin deliveries of its HBM4 products, featuring the latest sixth-generation HBM technology, within the year.
Ray Wang, an analyst at SemiAnalysis who focuses on the memory industry and AI supply chain, commented, "We anticipate a significant turnaround for Samsung in HBM4, expecting it to overcome last year's quality issues and supply for NVIDIA's new products." Nevertheless, analysts still project that SK Hynix will maintain a high market share and a dominant position in the HBM4 arena. Ray Wang added, "The HBM4 competition is essentially between SK Hynix and Samsung; we believe these two companies are more competitive than Micron Technology. We expect SK Hynix to retain its lead in HBM4, while Samsung will make substantial progress and become more competitive in HBM4 than in previous generations."
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