[News] South Korea’s Firms Reportedly Posted 14% North America Sales Growth, SK hynix Soared 65%

Amid lingering risks from the Trump administration’s tariffs, South Korea’s major conglomerates posted over 14% growth in North American sales through Q3 2025, ETNews reports. Among them, memory powerhouse SK hynix led the surge, with its U.S. revenue jumping more than 65% year-over-year, the report says.

According to ETNews, citing corporate analysis firm Leaders Index, the North American sales growth of South Korea’s major firms was driven by IT, electronics, and pharmaceuticals/biotech, while sectors such as secondary batteries declined. Among 67 publicly disclosed companies and 194 subsidiaries in the top 500 by revenue, cumulative North American sales through Q3 last year reached KRW 343.8 trillion, up 14.1% year-on-year, the report adds.

The IT and electronics sector drove South Korea’s North American sales growth, reaching KRW 157.9 trillion, up 20.7% year-on-year, the report notes. Within the sector, SK hynix stood out, with its North American revenue soaring 65.5% to KRW 45.2 trillion, pushing the region’s share of total sales past 70%, as highlighted by ETNews.

Notably, South Korea’s other memory giant, Samsung Electronics, also posted gains, with North American sales climbing 10.2% year-on-year to KRW 93.3 trillion, according to ETNews.

The surge reportedly comes amid booming AI infrastructure investments since the second half of 2025, which have sharply lifted memory chip demand. Both Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have been ramping up supply to keep pace with the AI-driven surge, the report notes.

SK hynix, Samsung Boost U.S. Footprint

Against this backdrop, SK hynix revealed in late January its plan to launch a U.S.-based AI solutions company, tentatively named AI Company, targeting new growth opportunities in the booming AI market. The company said it will harness its cutting-edge chip technologies, including HBM, to play a pivotal role in delivering optimized AI systems for customers in the AI data center sector.

The Korea Times notes that SK hynix has set aside $10 billion to support the initiative. The company might also plan to convert its NAND-focused U.S. unit, Solidigm, into AI Co., while spinning off a new subsidiary under Solidigm to maintain its existing operations.

According to industry sources cited by the report, SK hynix’s goals for AI Co. are twofold: establishing a strategic hub for AI investments in the U.S.—a crucial market for the sector—and finding new ways to leverage Solidigm’s capabilities.

On the other hand, Samsung Taylor fab is reportedly making tangible progress. Korea JoongAng Daily suggests the company has obtained temporary approval for portions of its facility under construction in Taylor, potentially accelerating the project from its original schedule.

Sources cited by Korea JoongAng Daily indicate that Samsung is set to begin testing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography tools as early as March, with full-scale 2nm output aimed for the second half of 2026. Once production ramps up, the Taylor plant is expected to produce Tesla’s AI5 chips under a contract through 2033 and supply the next-generation AI6 chips, according to the report.

Read more

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• [News] Samsung, SK hynix Reportedly Projected to Post Record-High NAND Margins of 40–50% in 1H26

(Photo credit: SK hynix)