Overnight, the U.S. stock memory sector continued its surge, with SanDisk up over 16%, Western Digital up over 13%, Seagate Technology up over 19%, and Micron Technology up over 2%. SK Hynix reported a 62% increase in profits and revealed that its full range of memory chip orders for next year has already sold out, indicating that the global AI infrastructure boom is significantly boosting demand across the industry. In Q3, the company achieved a record operating profit of KRW 11.4 trillion (approximately USD 80 billion), slightly above analysts' average expectations, with sales reaching KRW 24.5 trillion. On Wednesday morning in Seoul, SK Hynix's stock rose by as much as 5%.
According to the latest survey by TrendForce, the Q4 2025 Server DRAM contract prices are benefiting from global cloud service providers (CSPs) expanding their data center capacities, driving a stronger upward trend and lifting overall DRAM prices. Looking ahead to 2026, server demand is expected to remain robust, with DDR5 contract prices likely to rise throughout the year. As DDR5 prices continue to climb, narrowing the gap with HBM3e, DDR5's profitability is projected to outperform HBM3e starting in Q1 2026.
Morgan Stanley predicts that the memory chip industry is poised for a "super cycle" amid the AI boom. Related Hong Kong-listed memory chip concept stocks include: BIWIN Storage (IPO application in progress), Jingcun Technology (IPO application in progress), SMIC (00981), HUA HONG SEMI (01347), and SHANGHAI FUDAN (01385).