On January 28, reports emerged indicating that the prices of both cutting-edge and conventional memory chips have seen a notable uptick, driven by a burgeoning demand for artificial intelligence. On Wednesday, South Korea's SK Hynix revealed that its operating profit for the full year of 2025 soared to KRW 47.2 trillion (equivalent to approximately USD 33.1 billion), marking a more than twofold increase compared to the previous year. Additionally, its sales climbed to KRW 97.1 trillion, reflecting a 46.8% year-on-year surge, thus setting new benchmarks for both revenue and profit. In a strategic move, SK Hynix also announced its intention to cancel treasury shares valued at KRW 12.2 trillion (roughly USD 8.57 billion). Looking ahead to 2026, the company anticipates that DRAM demand will experience a growth of over 20% year-on-year, while NAND demand is expected to rise by 15%-20% year-on-year. This projection is accompanied by expectations of a substantial increase in capital expenditures.