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SK Hynix Warns Memory Shortage Could Last Until 2030

By Drooid · Oct 29, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

SK Hynix predicts memory shortage will last through 2030.
Q3 2026 revenue reached 104.6 trillion won.
Operating profit jumped 632% YoY to 83.33 trillion won.
Valve, Sony and Nintendo raised console prices up to 40% and $100 because of memory cost hikes.
DRAM average selling price rose high-20% to $26, while NAND price reached $30.61.

Summary

SK Hynix halted its Solidigm IPO review after parliamentary audits and regulator criticism.
Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin warned the board of its fiduciary duties.
Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eog-weon stressed protecting shareholders from value erosion.
SK Hynix announced a 10,000-won per share special dividend funded by Kioxia investment gains.
Around 10 trillion won of the new 20 trillion won buyback is earmarked for executive and employee compensation.

History

In the late-1990s a DRAM cartel involving Samsung, Hynix, Infineon and others led the U.S. Department of Justice to secure guilty pleas and fines—Samsung $300 million in October 2005 and Hynix $185 million in April 2005. The European Commission later imposed €331 million on nine firms in 2010. Those antitrust actions underpin today’s renewed scrutiny of SK Hynix amid a projected 2030 memory shortage.

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In the late-1990s a DRAM cartel involving Samsung, Hynix, Infineon and others led the U.S. Department of Justice to secure guilty pleas and fines—Samsung $300 million in October 2005 and Hynix $185 million in April 2005. The European Commission later imposed €331 million on nine firms in 2010. Those antitrust actions underpin today’s renewed scrutiny of SK Hynix amid a projected 2030 memory shortage.

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