August 18, 2025, South Korea’s memory chip leader SK hynix reported that NVIDIA accounted for nearly 27% of its total revenue in the first half of 2025, a striking demonstration of how artificial intelligence demand is redrawing global semiconductor dynamics. The figure underscores the scale of NVIDIA’s influence as the leading GPU manufacturer and highlights the critical role SK hynix plays in supplying advanced memory for AI accelerators.

At the center of this partnership is high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a technology specifically designed to handle the massive data requirements of AI training and inference. SK hynix has established itself as the dominant supplier of HBM3 and HBM3E chips, which power NVIDIA’s flagship GPU platforms such as Hopper and Blackwell. These chips are indispensable for generative AI applications, large-scale language models, and enterprise AI systems now proliferating across industries.

Industry analysts estimate that hyperscale cloud providers—Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud—have been among the largest buyers of NVIDIA GPUs equipped with SK hynix’s HBM solutions. This trend has allowed SK hynix to offset weakness in its traditional DRAM and NAND segments, where cyclical downturns have pressured margins. Instead, AI-related memory has become the company’s key growth engine.

While the reliance on a single customer for more than a quarter of revenue might appear risky, SK hynix executives argue it reflects strategic alignment rather than vulnerability. By working closely with NVIDIA, SK hynix gains a first-mover advantage in next-generation memory design and ensures long-term supply agreements with the world’s leading AI chipmaker. The company has already begun preparations for HBM4, expected to enter mass production by 2026, further cementing its leadership in the high-performance memory market.

For NVIDIA, securing a steady pipeline of HBM is equally critical. Its GPUs dominate the AI accelerator market, and demand has outpaced supply throughout 2024 and 2025. Locking in close collaboration with SK hynix allows NVIDIA to maintain its technological edge while meeting the insatiable appetite for AI computing power across research, cloud services, and enterprise adoption.

The revenue share also reflects the shifting balance of power in the semiconductor sector. Just a few years ago, memory suppliers were more dependent on PC and smartphone cycles. Today, AI workloads dictate growth trajectories, and suppliers like SK hynix find themselves deeply integrated into the fortunes of GPU giants. Competitors Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology are racing to catch up in the HBM space, but SK hynix’s early production leadership gives it a clear advantage.