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If GPUs were the stars of the AI rally over the past two years, the market is now increasingly realizing that what truly determines whether AI computing power can keep expanding isn’t just chip performance—but also memory bandwidth, capacity, power consumption, and supply.
Among the key players in this AI memory theme, $SK hynix (SKHY.US)$ is undoubtedly one of the most closely watched.amid continued strong demand for HBM, every move SK Hynix makes could become a critical indicator for the market to assessthe 'AI memory supercycle'and whether it can continue.
Recently, memory stock prices have been steadily declining, with the market questioning the sustainability of AI-related investments and the reliability of long-term memory supply agreements. Against this backdrop, SK Hynix will announce its Q2 FY2026 earnings on July 29 at 00:00 Beijing time, followed by an earnings webcast.Institutions expect revenue of KRW 84.12 trillion in Q2 2026, with EPS projected to exceed KRW 7,500.Management is expected to address key topics such as HBM shipments, outlook for AI memory demand, and guidance for the second half of the year—making this a critical indicator for assessing memory market sentiment this quarter.
Moreover, recent developments show that SK hynix’s product rolloutis particularly intense,having already begun supplying samples of its 12-layer stacked HBM4E, officially mass-producing the 192GB SOCAMM2, and unveiling its iHBM thermal management technology—all aimed at strengthening its high-performance memory portfolio tailored for AI server applications. The company was also awarded the 2026 IEEE Corporate Innovation Award, recognized specifically for "advancing HBM innovation to lead AI computing development." This indicates that SK Hynix is building competitive moats in the AI memory era across multiple dimensions—including products, thermal solutions, capacity, and standardization.
![If GPUs were the stars of the AI rally over the past two years, the market is now increasingly realizing that what truly determines whether AI computing power can keep expanding isn’t just chip performance—but also memory bandwidth, capacity, power consumption, and supply.[OK] Among the key players in this AI memory theme, $SK hynix (SKHY.US)$ is undoubtedly one of the most closely watched.amid continued strong demand for HBM, every move SK Hynix makes could become a critical indicator for the market to assessthe 'AI memory supercycle'and whether it can continue. Recently, memory stock prices have been steadily declining, with the market questioning the sustainability of AI-related investments and the reliability of long-term memory supply agreements. Against this backdrop, SK Hynix will announce its Q2 FY2026 earnings on July 29 at 00:00 Beijing time, followed by an earnings webcast.Institutions expect revenue of KRW 84.12 trillion in Q2 2026, with EPS projected to exceed KRW 7,500.Management is expected to address key topics such as HBM shipments, outlook for AI memory demand, and guidance for the second half of the year—making this a critical indicator for assessing memory market sentiment this quarter. Moreover, recent developments show that SK hynix’s product rolloutis particularly intense,: it has already begun supplying HBM4E 12-layer stacked samples, officially mass-produced 192GB SOCAMM2, and unveiled its iHBM thermal management technology, continuously strengthening its high-performance memory portfolio tailored for AI server applications. The company also received the 2026 I...](https://nnqimage.futunn.com/sns_client_feed/999982/20260724/web-1784863605140-dfO18BwL2s.jpeg/big?area=2&is_public=true&imageMogr2/ignore-error/1/format/webp)
🔎 There are three key points to watch regarding SK Hynix this time:
First, can HBM4E further widen its technological lead?
HBM has become one of the most critical memory components in AI servers, and the introduction of HBM4E samples signals that the competition for next-generation high-bandwidth memory has already begun ahead of schedule. The market will closely watch: How is the validation progress of the new product? Is customer adoption proceeding smoothly? Can future mass production and shipments deliver greater profit elasticity?
Second, will AI server memory demand continue to broaden?
Beyond HBM, SK hynix is also advancing in directions such as SOCAMM2 and iHBM. The official mass production of 192GB SOCAMM2 reflects growing AI server demand for higher-capacity, higher-efficiency memory modules, while iHBM focuses on thermal management and system efficiency. This indicates that the AI memory competition has evolved from 'who can supply' to 'who can offer more comprehensive system-level solutions.'
Third, can the memory super-cycle extend into the second half of the year?
Ongoing expansion of AI data centers is driving broad-based demand growth across HBM, DRAM, NAND, and enterprise storage. For SK hynix, the market will not only assess current earnings but also scrutinize its second-half guidance, visibility into customer orders, capital expenditure cadence, and whether the share of high-margin products can continue to rise.
Looking at the global memory sector, $Samsung Electronics (005930.KR)$ 、 $Kioxia Holdings (285A.JP)$ and $Seagate Technology (STX.US)$ players are validating AI-driven memory strength from different angles. Samsung Electronics recently issued a Q2 2026 earnings preview, with both revenue and operating profit significantly exceeding market expectations—operating profit grew multiple-fold year-over-year, primarily supported by surging demand for HBM, high-capacity DRAM, and enterprise SSDs driven by AI infrastructure expansion. In Japan, Kioxia offers a clearer window into the NAND cycle. Whether AI servers, enterprise SSDs, and data center expansions can further improve NAND pricing and shipments remains a key market focus. Meanwhile, Seagate Technology represents another memory demand pathway: as AI data centers continuously generate, train on, and store massive volumes of data, high-capacity hard drives, nearline storage, and data center storage solutions may also continue to benefit.
In other words, this AI-driven memory rally may no longer be limited to HBM alone but is gradually spreading across the entire memory ecosystem—from high-bandwidth memory to DRAM, NAND, SSDs, HDDs, and even server storage architectures.
So here's the question:
💾 Can SK hynix solidify its leadership in AI memory with HBM4E?
🔥 Does Samsung Electronics’ explosive profit growth signal that the memory super-cycle is still accelerating?
📈 Which stands to benefit more from AI data center expansion: Kioxia or Seagate Technology?
🤔 If you could only pick one storage stock, which would you favor?
This time, the market’s focus may not just be on SK Hynix’s earnings report, but also on whether AI-driven memory demand can continue to support the next phase of its growth narrative.
🏆 Activity 1: Bull Circle Insight Champion ✨
SK Hynix reports its first earnings since listing on the US market—how will the stock react post-earnings? With major Japanese and Korean memory giants all releasing results, can they inject confidence into the ongoing AI rally? 
Share your thoughts in the comments below:
✅ At least 30 characters ✅ Original viewpoint ✅ Complies with community guidelines
Qualified participants will share a pool of 20,000 points!
🏆 Activity 2: Options Strategy Exchange ✨
Stock volatility tends to intensify around earnings announcements—creating a strategic window for options positioning.How do you plan to trade? Share your options strategy in the comments below!Write at least 30 characters with sound reasoning to earn 66 points(Points stack on top of those from Activity 1)
Note: All activities will end at 4:00 AM Beijing Time on July 29; rewards are stackable; all rewards will be distributed collectively after this earnings season concludes.
Click to reserve:
![If GPUs were the stars of the AI rally over the past two years, the market is now increasingly realizing that what truly determines whether AI computing power can keep expanding isn’t just chip performance—but also memory bandwidth, capacity, power consumption, and supply.[OK] Among the key players in this AI memory theme, $SK hynix (SKHY.US)$ is undoubtedly one of the most closely watched.amid continued strong demand for HBM, every move SK Hynix makes could become a critical indicator for the market to assessthe 'AI memory supercycle'and whether it can continue. Recently, memory stock prices have been steadily declining, with the market questioning the sustainability of AI-related investments and the reliability of long-term memory supply agreements. Against this backdrop, SK Hynix will announce its Q2 FY2026 earnings on July 29 at 00:00 Beijing time, followed by an earnings webcast.Institutions expect revenue of KRW 84.12 trillion in Q2 2026, with EPS projected to exceed KRW 7,500.Management is expected to address key topics such as HBM shipments, outlook for AI memory demand, and guidance for the second half of the year—making this a critical indicator for assessing memory market sentiment this quarter. Moreover, recent developments show that SK hynix’s product rolloutis particularly intense,: it has already begun supplying HBM4E 12-layer stacked samples, officially mass-produced 192GB SOCAMM2, and unveiled its iHBM thermal management technology, continuously strengthening its high-performance memory portfolio tailored for AI server applications. The company also received the 2026 I...](https://nnqimage.futunn.com/sns_client_feed/999982/20260724/web-1784862336272-BdyCkkNSLv.webp/big?area=2&is_public=true&imageMogr2/ignore-error/1/format/webp)
![If GPUs were the stars of the AI rally over the past two years, the market is now increasingly realizing that what truly determines whether AI computing power can keep expanding isn’t just chip performance—but also memory bandwidth, capacity, power consumption, and supply.[OK] Among the key players in this AI memory theme, $SK hynix (SKHY.US)$ is undoubtedly one of the most closely watched.amid continued strong demand for HBM, every move SK Hynix makes could become a critical indicator for the market to assessthe 'AI memory supercycle'and whether it can continue. Recently, memory stock prices have been steadily declining, with the market questioning the sustainability of AI-related investments and the reliability of long-term memory supply agreements. Against this backdrop, SK Hynix will announce its Q2 FY2026 earnings on July 29 at 00:00 Beijing time, followed by an earnings webcast.Institutions expect revenue of KRW 84.12 trillion in Q2 2026, with EPS projected to exceed KRW 7,500.Management is expected to address key topics such as HBM shipments, outlook for AI memory demand, and guidance for the second half of the year—making this a critical indicator for assessing memory market sentiment this quarter. Moreover, recent developments show that SK hynix’s product rolloutis particularly intense,: it has already begun supplying HBM4E 12-layer stacked samples, officially mass-produced 192GB SOCAMM2, and unveiled its iHBM thermal management technology, continuously strengthening its high-performance memory portfolio tailored for AI server applications. The company also received the 2026 I...](https://nnqimage.futunn.com/sns_client_feed/999982/20260724/web-1784862355790-3qAv0mG9En.webp/big?area=2&is_public=true&imageMogr2/ignore-error/1/format/webp)
Risk Disclaimer: The above content only represents the author's view. It does not represent any position or investment advice of Futu. Futu makes no representation or warranty.Read more
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