SK Hynix says AI demand leaves DRAM and HBM capacity nearly sold out through 2029

At the same earnings briefing, SK hynix President and CEO Kwak Noh-jung said the company has signed long-term agreements (LTA) with 14 core customers, including leading global cloud service providers. Already-signed LTA orders, together with demand currently under negotiation, mean its DRAM and HBM capacity for the next three years through 2029 is effectively nearly sold out. Orders still in discussion are based on firm customer procurement plans, so the likelihood of conversion is high, and medium- to long-term sales visibility has improved sharply. Coverage differs slightly on the exact wording: one report described the capacity as fully sold out through 2029, while another used the phrase nearly sold out. The company also judged that tight memory supply and demand could persist into 2030, and said it would adopt a flexible investment pace to guard against cyclical risk. On the day of the announcement, the KOSPI index extended its gains to 5%, with Samsung Electronics up more than 7% and SK hynix nearly 6%, before the Korea Exchange triggered its SIDECAR mechanism to halt programmatic buying.