SK hynix directs 30% wafers to HBM

SK hynix’s push into high-bandwidth memory is no longer just a supplier story. By the end of 2025, the company had directed about 30% of its wafers to HBM production, according to a May 2026 report by The Next Web. SK hynix’s own disclosures show the same shift from another angle: HBM accounted for 30% of its DRAM revenue in the third quarter of 2024, and the company said that share would rise to 40% in the fourth quarter. The result is a memory market in which capacity is being steered toward AI accelerators while consumer devices compete for the rest. ### Where does the 30% figure come from? The Next Web reported on May 24, 2026 that SK hynix was directing about 30% of its wafers to HBM by the end of 2025. The article said memory makers were reallocating existing output toward AI memory rather than adding enough new overall capacity to offset the shift. SK hynix has not used that exact wafer-allocation wording in the company material reviewed here, but its financial releases show HBM becoming a much larger part of the business. In its third-quarter 2024 results, published October 24, 2024, SK hynix said HBM’s share of DRAM revenue reached 30% in the quarter and was expected to rise to 40% in the fourth quarter. In its January 28, 2026 annual results, the company said 2025 performance was driven by “AI memory competitiveness and high value-added products including HBM,” and that discussions on next year’s HBM supply had been completed. ### Why are wafers being redirected instead of total output simply rising? SK hynix said in its April 23, 2026 first-quarter results that it expected favorable pricing conditions to continue for both DRAM and NAND and would keep rolling out products to meet “diversifying memory demand.” The company also said it would strengthen HBM performance, yield, quality and supply stability. TechTimes reported on May 24, 2026 that AMD Chief Executive Lisa Su had identified HBM, rather than advanced packaging, as the next binding supply constraint for AI chips. The same report said Micron’s 2026 HBM production was already allocated and that meaningful new fab capacity was not expected before late 2027. Micron separately said its HBM4 product was in high-volume production and that it planned to ramp HBM4 in calendar 2026 in line with customers’ next-generation AI platforms. ### How does that spill into phones, laptops and PCs? TrendForce data cited by TechTimes showed DRAM contract prices rose 90% to 95% quarter over quarter in the first quarter of 2026, with another 58% to 63% increase forecast for the second quarter. TechTimes said the price jump was being driven by AI data-center demand that was pulling chip production away from consumer devices. The Next Web linked that supply shift to higher prices for smartphones, laptops and PC builds through 2026. That is the consumer effect of the same capacity decision: HBM is built for AI accelerators, but the wafers and manufacturing attention used there are not available for commodity memory at the same scale. ### What has SK hynix said about demand for the rest of its memory business? SK hynix said on October 29, 2025 that demand for all DRAM and NAND products for the following year had been secured. The company also said HBM supply discussions for the next year had been completed and that HBM4 shipments would begin in the fourth quarter of 2025. January 28, 2026 added another marker. SK hynix reported record annual revenue of 97.1467 trillion won and operating profit of 47.2063 trillion won for 2025, figures it attributed to AI memory and other high-value products. Those filings do not say consumer memory is being abandoned, but they do show where margins and supply commitments are concentrated. ### What should readers watch next? April 23, 2026 is the latest official checkpoint from SK hynix, when it reported first-quarter results and reiterated plans to strengthen HBM supply capabilities. The next company earnings release will show whether HBM’s share of sales keeps rising and whether pricing for DRAM and NAND remains elevated. Micron’s 2026 HBM ramp and SK hynix’s next quarterly results are the clearest near-term markers. TrendForce’s second-quarter 2026 pricing data will also show whether the contract-price surge cited in May continues into the second half.