SK hynix said on the 7th that it won the "best financially managed semiconductor corporations over $1 billion in annual sales" and the "outstanding Asia-Pacific semiconductor corporations" at the "GSA Awards 2025" hosted by the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) on the 4th (local time) in Santa Clara, California.
The Global Semiconductor Alliance is a CEO network organization in the semiconductor industry that serves as a global semiconductor technology information-sharing platform and hub. It has more than 250 member corporations in over 25 countries.
The best financially managed semiconductor corporations award is selected based on an evaluation of the financial soundness and performance of publicly listed semiconductor corporations. Depending on annual sales size, awards are given in two institutional sectors, "over $1 billion" and "$1 billion or less," and the award is recognized as highly authoritative in the global semiconductor industry because it evaluates practical financial management capabilities and management efficiency rather than simple sales scale.
The outstanding Asia-Pacific semiconductor corporations award is a special award for the Asia-Pacific region and is selected based on evaluations of products, vision, leadership, and market success among semiconductor corporations headquartered in the region.
The GSA Awards is the most prestigious awards ceremony in the semiconductor industry that GSA has held annually since 1996. It recognizes corporations and individuals that have achieved top results in various institutional sectors, including leadership, financial performance, and industry respect.
SK hynix won for the second time in the best financial management institutional sector, following 2017, and earned its first honor in the Asia-Pacific semiconductor corporations institutional sector. By sweeping two institutional sectors this time, the company once again proved its status as a leading blue-chip corporations representing the global semiconductor industry.
The company said, "Just two years ago, the industry as a whole struggled due to an unexpected downturn, but we overcame it the fastest based on advanced AI memory technologies such as HBM and have been recognized for world-class management performance," and added, "We will build a continuously growing corporations based on overwhelming technological leadership in the AI memory market."
Entering 2025, the company has been breaking its quarterly records each quarter. With cumulative sales of 64 trillion won and operating profit of 28 trillion won in the third quarter, it is only a matter of time before it far surpasses the record annual results achieved in 2024 of 66 trillion won in sales and 23 trillion won in operating profit.
Financial soundness also improved significantly. As of the end of the third quarter, cash and cash equivalents were 27.9 trillion won, up 10.9 trillion won from the previous quarter, while borrowing fund stood at 24.1 trillion won, enabling a successful shift to a net cash position of about 4 trillion won.
On the back of these results, SK hynix is continuing large-scale investments to solidify its leadership in the AI memory market. The Cheongju M15X fab, which opened its cleanroom early in Oct., is set to begin mass production of HBM in the first half of next year after rapid equipment installation. Construction of the first-phase fab at the Yongin semiconductor cluster, which broke ground in Feb., is also in full swing with the goal of completing earlier than originally planned.
Following this award and the acceleration of large-scale investment, SK hynix's AI memory leadership is expected to become even more solid. At the ceremony, President Kim Ju-seon of SK hynix AI Infra and Executive Vice President Ryu Seong-su attended, and Kim accepted the award on behalf of the company.
Kim said, "I am honored to receive this award on behalf of SK hynix," and added, "Based on market-leading products and differentiated technological competitiveness, we will create new value with customers as a full-stack AI memory creator and lead the growth of the AI market."