SK hynix is expanding its share of private jet ownership within the group by successively acquiring the equity in business aircraft held by SK Innovation and SK Telecom. The move is seen as a response to growing demand for overseas business trips by executives as the share of U.S. operations surges amid a boom in AI semiconductors.
According to the industry on the 26th, SK hynix disclosed that on July 1 it will acquire the equity in business aircraft A319 (aircraft No. 2) held by SK Innovation and SK Telecom for about 24.9 billion won and 14.9 billion won, respectively. The total acquisition amount is about 39.8 billion won. The company described the purpose of the purchase as "enhancing global business efficiency."
The industry sees SK hynix's recent expansion of its U.S. business as the backdrop for this equity reshuffle. SK hynix's sales in the U.S. last year were 66.8851 trillion won, accounting for 68.9% of total sales. Most global big tech firms, including key customer Nvidia as well as AMD, Google, and Meta, are concentrated in the United States.
In particular, as competition for leadership in the AI semiconductor market intensifies, the need for close collaboration with customers is also growing. For advanced AI memory, including high bandwidth memory (HBM), customized development for customers and coordination of supply schedules are critical, and executives' and key officers' business trips to the United States have reportedly increased significantly.
SK hynix is also expanding local investment in the United States. The company is building an advanced packaging plant in Indiana and, early this year, established a tentatively named "AI Company" in the United States to oversee its AI solutions business. Next month, it is also pursuing a Nasdaq listing of American depositary receipts (ADR).
In business circles, some also see this as a process of reorganizing the ownership structure around SK hynix, the affiliate with the highest utilization of private jets within the group. As the AI semiconductor business grows and the need to serve global customers increases, SK hynix's overseas management activities are expected to expand further.