On Wednesday, SK hynix said it posted an annual record operating profit of 47.2 trillion won (US$33 billion) in 2025 amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, beating its rival Samsung Electronics’ total performance for the first time. SK hynix is currently in the final stages of preparing for full-scale production of HBM4, with samples already supplied to Nvidia. Samsung Electronics is also expected to start full-fledged production of HBM4 this year. “We will maintain our leadership and position as the leading supplier based on performance, mass production capacity and quality,” it added. Industry tracker Counterpoint Research recently estimated SK hynix will account for 54 percent of the global HBM4 market in 2026, followed by Samsung Electronics with 28 percent and Micron Technology Inc. at 18 percent.