SK Hynix to return $75 billion to shareholders after record AI-fueled quarter

The South Korean memory maker says its HBM and DRAM output is sold out through 2029 as AI demand outruns supply SK Hynix plans to hand about $75 billion back to shareholders this year. The announcement came Wednesday, alongside a quarterly profit that jumped more than seven-fold. The South Korean memory chipmaker credited demand from AI infrastructure, which has pushed memory chip prices sharply higher. It also offered a supply outlook that runs directly against a growing worry on Wall Street: that the AI spending boom is running out of road. The numbers behind the payout For the third quarter of 2026, SK Hynix reported revenue of 104.62 trillion won, up 328% from a year earlier. It was the first time the company has topped 100 trillion won in quarterly revenue. Operating profit reached 83.33 trillion won, a 632% year-over-year increase. That works out to an operating margin close to 80%. The shareholder return plan totals approximately 100 trillion won, or about $75 billion, for 2026. It breaks down into more than 30 trillion won in cash dividends and more than 60 trillion won in share buybacks and cancellations. The company also declared a third-quarter dividend of 14 trillion wo...