COMPANIES · CHIP MFG & PACKAGING

SK hynix

Makes DRAM, NAND and high-bandwidth memory used in computing systems.

EnablerChip mfg & packaging
What it does

Makes DRAM, NAND and high-bandwidth memory used in computing systems.

Why it matters

It is one of a small number of suppliers of high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a component used in most modern AI accelerators.

How it makes money

Sells memory chips, including HBM used in AI accelerators, to chipmakers and system builders.

Geography

South Korea

AI stack position

Chip manufacturing, memory and packaging. The foundries, memory makers, and packaging and testing businesses that physically manufacture AI chips. This is where a chip design actually becomes a real, physical piece of silicon.

Connections (11)

Every connection below is tied to a readable source, date, classification and statement of its limits. A company source establishes what that company stated; it does not necessarily provide independent confirmation.

Current relationships (3)

Lam Research supplies EUV process technology to SK hynix
SuppliesCurrent
SK hynix selected Lam Research's dry resist fabrication technology as the development tool of record for two key EUV process steps in advanced DRAM production, aiming for more precise, lower-defect, cost-effective manufacturing.

Source: 2022-06-14 · reviewed 2026-09-22

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Reported operating

Limits: Describes tool selection for two process steps as of the 2022 announcement; does not establish current production volumes or exclusivity with Lam Research.

Lam Research Teams Up with SK hynix to Enhance DRAM Production Cost Efficiency with Breakthrough Dry Resist EUV Technology ↗
SK hynix uses debug software from Synopsys
Uses technology fromCurrent
SK hynix adopted Synopsys's Verdi debug platform to accelerate its memory-chip development productivity.

Source: 2014-10-27 · reviewed 2026-09-22

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Reported operating

Limits: A 2014 tool-adoption announcement; does not establish that SK hynix still uses this specific Synopsys tool today.

SK Hynix Accelerates Memory Development with Productivity-Enhancing Debug Apps on Synopsys Verdi ↗
SK hynix uses IP and verification tools from Cadence Design Systems
Uses technology fromCurrent
Cadence demonstrated interoperability of its IP with SK hynix's highest-speed LPDDR5T mobile DRAM, running at 9,600 Mbps.

Source: Source undated · reviewed 2026-09-22

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Reported operating

Limits: Interoperability demonstration; does not establish production deployment or an ongoing commercial relationship. Page content was accessed via search indexing of Cadence's own press release title rather than a direct fetch, because cadence.com blocked live fetches in this session.

Cadence Demonstrates Interoperability with SK hynix's Highest Speed LPDDR5T Mobile DRAM at 9600Mbps ↗

Dated or announced (6)

SK hynix supplies AI memory to NVIDIA
SuppliesDated / announced
SK hynix and NVIDIA signed letters of intent as part of a $500-billion-plus SK Group-NVIDIA partnership under which SK hynix will provide a stable supply of next-generation AI memory, including HBM4, to power NVIDIA's Vera Rubin platform.

Source: 2026-07-25 · reviewed 2026-09-22

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Announced / planned

Limits: Signed as letters of intent, not a finalized supply contract; the $500B+ figure covers the entire SK Group-NVIDIA partnership including AI-factory construction, not an amount specific to the SK hynix memory-supply piece.

SK Group and NVIDIA Expand Strategic Partnership Across AI Factories and Next-Generation Memory ↗
SK hynix co-develops memory with NVIDIA
Co-develops withDated / announced
SK hynix and NVIDIA announced multiyear memory co-engineering.

Source: 2026-06-07 · reviewed 2026-09-17

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Announced partnership

Limits: Replaced the mistyped SK Group URL. Group-level investment is not a SK hynix purchase order.

SK hynix and NVIDIA AI factory partnership ↗
SK hynix is reported to supply memory to Tesla
SuppliesDated / announced
Korean outlet Hankyung reported that SK hynix supplies the memory used with Tesla's AI5 chip, a claim relayed by research firm TrendForce in April 2026.

Source: 2026-04-16 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Secondary reporting (unconfirmed by primary parties) · Reported but unconfirmed

Limits: Unconfirmed by Tesla or SK hynix and reported at second hand from Korean media with no named source. It does not establish memory type, volumes, contract value, or that SK hynix is the sole or continuing supplier.

Tesla AI5 Reportedly Uses SK hynix Memory, Samsung LPDDR5X; Samsung SF2T Process Applied Ahead of AI6 ↗
ASML supplies EUV lithography systems to SK hynix
SuppliesDated / announced
SK hynix disclosed in a regulatory filing that it will purchase 11.9 trillion won (about $7.9 billion) of EUV lithography equipment from ASML for delivery through the end of 2027, to be deployed at its M15X plant for HBM production and its new Yongin cluster for advanced DRAM.

Source: 2026-03-24 · reviewed 2026-09-22

Evidence: Secondary reporting of an on-record executive statement · Announced / planned

Limits: Order value and machine count (about 30 EUV systems) are as reported from a regulatory filing via press coverage; delivery runs through 2027 and is not yet complete, and the filing does not establish exclusivity with ASML.

SK hynix places record $8 billion order for ASML EUV lithography machines ↗
SK hynix supplies HBM memory to Microsoft
SuppliesDated / announced
SK hynix is reported to be the sole HBM3E supplier for Microsoft's in-house Maia 200 AI chip, which is fabricated on TSMC's 3nm process, according to Korean trade-press sourcing.

Source: 2026-01-27 · reviewed 2026-09-22

Evidence: Secondary reporting (unconfirmed by primary parties) · Reported operating

Limits: Sourced to unnamed people familiar with the matter; neither SK hynix nor Microsoft has confirmed this on the record, and the 'sole supplier' characterization is reported, not stated by either company.

Microsoft Unveils Maia 200 AI Chip on TSMC 3nm; SK hynix Reportedly Sole HBM3E Supplier ↗
SK hynix agreed to supply memory chips to OpenAI
SuppliesDated / announced
OpenAI said SK hynix and Samsung plan to scale advanced memory production for Stargate, targeting 900,000 DRAM wafer starts per month at an accelerated capacity rollout.

Source: 2025-10-01 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Announced; not confirmed operating

Limits: A stated production target announced alongside letters of intent, not a purchase order. It does not establish that any wafers have been produced or delivered for Stargate, the price, the split between SK hynix and Samsung, or that the target has been met.

Samsung and SK join OpenAI's Stargate initiative to advance global AI infrastructure ↗

Comparisons (2)

Samsung Electronics competes with SK hynix
Competes withComparison only
Samsung narrowed its HBM market-share gap with SK hynix to 17 percentage points in Q2 2026 (from 37 points in Q1), as Samsung's HBM4 yields stabilized around 80%, intensifying direct competition between the two Korean memory makers.

Source: 2026-09-21 · reviewed 2026-09-22

Evidence: Analytical comparison · Reported operating

Limits: Share and yield figures are as reported by this outlet, not disclosed directly by either company in the cited article.

Samsung Narrows HBM Gap With SK hynix to 17 Points ↗
Micron competes with SK hynix
Competes withComparison only
Micron has pushed aggressively into HBM to challenge SK hynix's market lead, becoming the second HBM supplier after SK hynix to ship 12-layer HBM3E to NVIDIA and targeting roughly 20% HBM market share, up from about 5.1% in 2024.

Source: 2025-04-13 · reviewed 2026-09-22

Evidence: Analytical comparison · Reported operating

Limits: Share figures are as reported by this outlet, not company-disclosed, and describe 2024-2025 market share which may have shifted since.

Micron makes aggressive HBM push to challenge Samsung, SK ↗
Evidence for this profile

SK hynix investor relations ↗
Reviewed

Explore it interactively

Open this profile in the database See it on the relationship map

Inclusion in this database is not an endorsement of a company or its securities. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell anything, and none of it is individualized investment advice. See the disclosures. Data: AI Map v3.22, released .