--- title: "After a fourfold surge in stock price, SK Hynix promises to continue expanding AI chip production capacity" description: "As SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won promised to significantly expand the production of HBM \"monster chips\" in response to the supply shortage caused by global AI infrastructure development, the company'" type: "news" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/276582791.md" published_at: "2026-02-23T09:29:36.000Z" --- # After a fourfold surge in stock price, SK Hynix promises to continue expanding AI chip production capacity > As SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won promised to significantly expand the production of HBM "monster chips" in response to the supply shortage caused by global AI infrastructure development, the company's stock price has soared more than four times in the past year, setting a record for profits. Benefiting from strong demand from clients such as NVIDIA, SK Hynix's production capacity for 2026 has already been sold out, with profit expectations raised to as high as $100 billion As SK Hynix's parent company, SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won pledged to expand AI storage chip production capacity to meet the surge in demand brought about by the global data center construction boom, the company's stock price has soared more than fourfold over the past year, setting profit records. The head of South Korea's second-largest conglomerate referred to high bandwidth memory (HBM) as a "monster chip" during a conference in Washington on February 20, stating that this product is generating huge profits for SK Hynix. This chip manufacturer has outperformed the global semiconductor industry due to the explosive growth in demand for AI chips. In January, SK Hynix announced that its capital expenditure for 2026 would significantly increase compared to last year to meet the demand for HBM chips required for AI accelerators designed by companies like NVIDIA. The company's entire storage chip production capacity for 2026 has already been sold out. This capacity expansion plan highlights how the global AI race is reshaping the semiconductor supply landscape. American tech giants, from Microsoft to Meta, are expected to invest about $650 billion this year in building AI infrastructure, leading to a global shortage of storage chips due to this record spending. ## Market Dominance Further Consolidated Currently, the global storage chip market is dominated by SK Hynix, its South Korean rival Samsung Electronics, and American Micron Technology. In the critical component area of HBM for AI, SK Hynix has established a leading advantage. **The company's 2026 production capacity has been fully booked, and Micron's HBM products are experiencing similar situations.** American tech companies are engaged in a large-scale infrastructure race, trying to gain an edge in AI technology development. From Microsoft and Meta to other tech giants, a total investment of about $650 billion is expected this year for AI-related infrastructure construction. This unprecedented scale of investment is directly driving the demand for high-performance storage chips. The HBM chips produced by SK Hynix are core components of AI accelerators from companies like NVIDIA and AMD, used for training and running artificial intelligence services. As the scale of AI models continues to expand, the demand for such high-performance storage chips is experiencing explosive growth. ## Profit Expectations Soar but Risks Remain **Analysts continue to raise profit expectations for SK Hynix.** According to Choi Tae-won, analysts' average forecast for the company's operating profit in 2026 has risen from about $50 billion at the end of last year to $70 billion in January this year, with some institutions even raising expectations to over $100 billion. However, Choi Tae-won also issued a warning. "This sounds like good news," he said, "but it could also turn into a $100 billion loss." The chairman warned that rapid technological iterations could lead to dramatic changes in the competitive landscape, and there remains a possibility of losses in the future. This cautious statement reflects the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and the uncertainties brought about by technological changes. Despite strong current demand, industry history shows that imbalances in supply and demand and generational technology transitions can quickly alter market dynamics ## Energy Infrastructure Becomes a New Bottleneck Cui Taiyuan also pointed out the increasingly severe infrastructure challenges. He stated that SK Group is exploring the construction of power plants next to AI data centers, as failing to meet energy demands could lead to "catastrophic" consequences. This statement highlights the new constraints faced by the AI chip industry. As AI models and data centers continue to scale up, power supply is becoming another critical bottleneck following chip production capacity. For chip manufacturers planning large-scale expansions, ensuring a stable energy supply has become a strategic priority. Although Cui Taiyuan did not specify the scale of SK Hynix's capacity expansion, the company has clearly stated that it will significantly increase capital expenditures. This commitment indicates that despite technological and market risks, SK Hynix remains confident in the long-term demand prospects for AI chips ### Related Stocks - [SOXX.US - iShares Semiconductor ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SOXX.US.md) - [159516.CN - Guotai CSI Semiconductor Material Equipment Theme ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/159516.CN.md) - [NVDA.US - NVIDIA](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDA.US.md) - [SMH.US - VanEck Semiconductor ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SMH.US.md) - [PSI.US - Invesco Semiconductors ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/PSI.US.md) - [002224.CN - SANLUX](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/002224.CN.md) - [XSD.US - SPDR S&P Semicon](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XSD.US.md) - [588780.CN - GTJA Allianz SSE STAR Chip Design Thematic ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/588780.CN.md) ## Related News & Research | Title | Description | URL | |-------|-------------|-----| | SK 会长崔泰源警告：AI 正在吞噬一切，今年千亿美元利润或瞬间变巨亏 | SK 会长崔泰源发出严厉警示：AI 正在吞噬一切，技术变革的剧烈波动让年度规划失去意义。虽然 SK 海力士预期利润飙升至 1000 亿美元，但市场扭曲、能源瓶颈及技术迭代正让行业陷入 “双刃剑” 困境，领先者亦难逃生存危机。 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276526102.md) | | 英伟达 “滞涨” 数月，本周 “全球最重要财报” 拉得动吗？ | 如果业绩无法安抚躁动的市场，随之而来的波动恐将波及 AI 板块乃至整个大盘。 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276552229.md) | | SK 海力士高盛电话会：所有客户需求都无法满足，今年存储价格持续上涨 | SK 海力士在高盛电话会上释放强烈信号：存储行业已全面进入卖方市场。受 AI 真实需求驱动及洁净室空间受限影响，今年存储价格将持续上涨。公司透露目前 DRAM 及 NAND 库存仅剩约 4 周，且没有任何客户能完全满足需求。随着 2026 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276505903.md) | | 来自 “2028 年 6 月的研究报告”：当 AI 超越预期，经济却崩了 | CitriniResearch 备忘录虚构了一份 “AI 繁荣危机”：2028 年，尽管 AI 生产力超预期飙升，却因彻底颠覆白领就业导致 “经济瘟疫”。企业利润与算力霸权虽扩张，但家庭收入塌陷使消费引擎熄火，产生 “幽灵 GDP”。随着 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276560702.md) | | 市场对美股科技股 “如此悲观”？ | 今年以来，美股科技股从 “AI 收益者” 成了 “被 AI 冲击”。 据美银统计，目前美股科技股的动态市盈率低于非必需消费品、工业和必需消费品板块。 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276551385.md) | --- > **Disclaimer**: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.