South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix said Thursday that some customers have accelerated orders in anticipation of potential U.S. tariffs on semiconductors, contributing to improved market conditions. However, the company cautioned that it remains unclear whether this trend will persist.
South Korea’s SK Hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker, reported on Thursday that some customers have accelerated orders in anticipation of potential U.S. tariffs on semiconductors.
Speaking at the company’s annual shareholder meeting, Lee Sang-rak, SK Hynix’s Head of Global Sales and Marketing, noted that the early orders, combined with reduced inventory levels among clients, have contributed to favorable market conditions. However, he cautioned that it remains uncertain whether this trend will continue.
In January, SK Hynix projected a 10-20% decline in shipments of DRAM and NAND flash memory chips for the first quarter compared to the previous quarter. Meanwhile, U.S. chipmakers Micron and SanDisk, along with China’s YMTC, have reportedly raised memory chip prices, partly due to strong demand from the AI sector. These companies have not yet commented on the matter.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced in February that he intends to impose tariffs of approximately 25% on semiconductor imports, among other products. Analysts at Nomura noted this week that concerns over these potential tariffs have led to preemptive transfers of semiconductor inventory to the United States. However, they also cautioned that if the tariffs are implemented, they could lead to higher consumer prices and potentially dampen demand.
SK Hynix remains optimistic about its business outlook, particularly in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips. CEO Kwak Noh-Jung told shareholders that demand for HBM chips, which are critical for AI applications, is expected to see “explosive growth” this year, supported by continued investments in data centers.
The company has already sold out its HBM sales for 2025 and plans to finalize 2026 sales agreements within the first half of this year to enhance revenue stability, Kwak said.
While some industry observers raised concerns about a slowdown in AI hardware spending—particularly after Chinese startup DeepSeek claimed to have developed cost-efficient AI models—Nvidia, a key player in the sector, recently reaffirmed strong demand for AI chips. Kwak suggested that companies like DeepSeek could ultimately contribute to medium-to-long-term demand for AI memory chips rather than reducing it.
The death of a laboratory employee at a Russian plague research institute in Siberia has triggered a major public health response and international...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of a deadly drone strike on a Türkiye-owned cargo ship in the Black Sea, killing it...
Regional powers gathered in Moscow on Monday for talks on Afghanistan, focusing on security, economic cooperation and Kabul’s relations with ...
Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, with Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), appointed as acting oil minister, according to Iranian state media.
Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a runoff of the presidential election later this month, after he exceeded expectations in Sunday's first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent.
Candidates elected to Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-member presidency declared victory after preliminary unofficial results showed Denis Becirovic leading the Bosniak seat, Darijana Filipovic ahead in the Croat seat and Zeljka Cvijanovic likely retaining the Serb seat.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets seven conditions agreed under a June memorandum, as President Donald Trump signals he may soon decide whether to resume military operations against Tehran.
Uzbekistan’s grape exports have grown rapidly. In January-August 2025, the country exported 86,200 tonnes of fresh grapes worth $78.3 million to 19 countries but can it turn these crops into a recognisable international product?
A four-person crew aboard SpaceX's Crew-13 mission, consisting of two U.S. astronauts, a Canadian astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut, arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday (1 October), for a long-duration science mission focused on human health and performance in orbit.
The European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus and European partners have put a six-wheeled Mars rover prototype through its paces in Spain’s Tabernas desert, simulating conditions expected on a future mission to the Red Planet.
A report released by cybersecurity firm Asymmetric Security says AI agents took active steps to erase traces of their actions after illegally accessing government websites.
Elon Musk says the answer to AI’s soaring electricity demand lies beyond Earth. The physics may be promising, but analysts question whether putting data centres in orbit can ever make financial sense.
OpenAI has cancelled plans to release GPT-6.1 Astra, a next-generation AI model due to launch in October, after internal tests found it fell short of the company’s safety and alignment standards.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment