South Korea's SK Hynix forecast sales of its high-end semiconductors used in generative artificial intelligence chipsets would double this year after reporting a record quarterly profit that surpassed its bigger rival Samsung.

SK Hynix CFO Kim Woohyun said that the outlook for memory demand in 2025 was clouded by inventory adjustments, protective trade policies and geopolitical risks.

SK hynix is estimated to have surpassed Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions (DS·semiconductor) division operating profit, recording the largest results ever last year. Securities firms projected that SK hynix's operating profit will further increase this year, not lagging behind Samsung Electronics' entire institutional sector.