SK hynix significantly increased capital investment and R&D investment in the first half of 2026, with cash outlays for tangible fixed assets reaching KRW 18.33 trillion in the January-June period. Buoyed by strong demand for AI memory, the company is accelerating investment in new plants, centered on the Yongin Cluster.
SK hynix reported cash outlays for tangible fixed assets of KRW 18.33 trillion in the first half of 2026, up 72.7% from the same period a year earlier. R&D expenses totaled KRW 6.04 trillion, up 98.4% year on year and nearly doubling.
The investment reflects surging demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI applications, server DRAM and enterprise SSDs, and the company is moving quickly to expand its AI memory production capacity.
Under an expansion plan centered on the Yongin Cluster, construction is progressing on four next-generation DRAM and AI memory plants, with the initial opening of the first plant's cleanroom targeted for February 2027.
The board approved an investment package totaling KRW 54.3 trillion for two new facilities. Y2, the second plant, will be located at the Yongin Cluster, while M17, a NAND plant, will be located in Cheongju. The company also announced plans to raise total investment in the first Yongin plant to approximately KRW 31 trillion, including additional investment through 2030.