According to Yonhap, SK Hynix Inc. is expected to report an all-time high second-quarter operating profit of 64.1 trillion won ($43.7 billion), supported by its leading position in the high bandwidth memory (HBM) market during an artificial intelligence-led semiconductor upcycle. Yonhap Infomax, based on forecasts from 14 local brokerages, put April-June sales at 84.1 trillion won and operating profit at 64.1 trillion won, which would top the company’s previous annual operating profit record of 47.2 trillion won in 2025. The operating margin is forecast at about 75% to 77%, compared with 75% in the first quarter. The estimate comes after Samsung Electronics Co. earlier this month projected a record quarterly operating profit of 89.4 trillion won, and if SK hynix posts results as expected on Wednesday, the two memory chipmakers would together generate more than 150 trillion won in operating profit. Analysts said the results reflect higher memory chip prices and strong demand for HBM and solid-state drives used in AI data centers. Kim Dong-won, a researcher at KB Securities Co., said sales to global tech companies and AI data center operators are expected to account for 70% of SK hynix's total revenue in the second quarter.