SK Hynix Rises as AI Demand Shifts Memory Allocation Away from Phones
SK Hynix (NASDAQ: SKHY) surged nearly 7% in early trading on September 8, driven by increased demand for high-bandwidth memory chips used in artificial intelligence infrastructure. This shift is diverting wafer capacity away from traditional DRAM used in smartphones, benefiting suppliers like SK Hynix and Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU), which saw a modest gain of 0.4%. In contrast, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) fell by about 1% as CEO Tim Cook warned that memory costs are expected to rise further this September due to ongoing supply constraints. The broader market was mixed with the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA: SPY) down 0.34%, while the Roundhill Memory ETF (CBOE: DRAM) rose by 3%. Micron's guidance for fiscal Q4 2026 revenue of $50 billion and a projected gross margin of 86% highlights growing demand from AI data centers, with relief in memory pricing expected to be years away. The shift is also pressuring Apple’s sourcing flexibility as it relies on just three DRAM suppliers.
Tickers: $AAPL $DRAM $MU $SKHYV
Topics: AI_infrastructure memory_chips semiconductors stock_performance