SK Hynix CEO frames memory as AI's foundation as company expands next-gen fab footprint

Kwak's memory-first pitch at the Santa Clara forum

SK Hynix chief executive Kwak Noh-jung used the company's 2026 Global Forum in Santa Clara, California on Sept. 18 to argue that memory is the load-bearing layer of the AI economy, framing DRAM and high-bandwidth memory as the components that keep scaling as model and accelerator demand grows. Quoted in a company statement released Sept. 21, Kwak said: "The AI industry cannot exist without memory. Just as we set a new milestone with high-bandwidth memory, the next-generation memory we are preparing will open up new possibilities for AI." He added that AI memory demand "will remain strong" as the industry expands.

Yongin, Indiana and a U.S. R&D hub anchor the next build-out

To translate that framing into capacity, SK Hynix is moving ahead with a portfolio of new production and research sites. The Yongin semiconductor cluster in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea and a wafer fab in Indiana head the list, alongside a new AI R&D center in the United States that will handle development and production of the company's next-generation memory portfolio. Kwak said SK Hynix will "maintain our technological edge and market leadership through new global production bases and R&D infrastructure," using the global footprint as the moat against rivals catching up in high-bandwidth memory.

HBM4, HBM4E and the 2027 DRAM roadmap

The product timeline underpinning the build-out centers on the existing HBM4 standard, which is already integrated into NVIDIA's Rubin AI accelerator, and the next-generation HBM4E standard now in development. SK Hynix also plans to launch LPDDR6 and DDR6 products next year, targeting next-generation PCs and smartphones. The pipeline is intended to extend the company's current HBM, LPDDR and DDR offerings into the higher-bandwidth tiers that AI accelerators are expected to require.

Samsung narrows the gap as Micron and CXMT accelerate

Counterpoint Research data cited in the reporting shows Samsung Electronics raising its HBM revenue share to 33% in the second quarter from 21% in the first quarter, while SK Hynix's share slipped to 50% from 58% over the same period, shrinking the gap between the two Korean suppliers. Samsung's gains have been linked to improved HBM4 yields and expanded 4nm base-die capacity. Micron and China's CXMT are also accelerating production, adding pressure on SK Hynix's premium positioning even as the broader HBM market is expected to remain undersupplied next year, with demand growth projected to outpace supply growth.