SK Hynix CEO Warns: Semiconductor Market May Face Severe Turbulence in the Second Half of 2025
At the recent quarterly executive communication meeting held at the Icheon campus in South Korea, SK Hynix CEO Lee Seok-hee issued a warning to all employees. This internal meeting, named “THE Communication Event,” was live-streamed to all of the company’s production bases and offices in South Korea, becoming a focal point of industry attention.
During the two-hour discussion, Lee Seok-hee focused on analyzing global semiconductor market trends. He emphasized that with the ongoing effects of U.S. tariff policies, combined with other uncontrollable variables, the industry’s volatility in the second half of 2025 may exceed expectations. “While we cannot precisely predict the market direction from the end of 2025 to 2026,” Lee stated, “it is reassuring that the company’s current development trajectory aligns closely with our established strategy.” He urged all SK Hynix employees to remain vigilant and collectively address potential market challenges.
As the head of the company’s global sales operations, Vice President Lee Sang-rok provided a more detailed market analysis in his subsequent remarks. He pointed out that the industry’s performance in the first half of 2025 actually exceeded expectations, so there is no need to hold an overly pessimistic view for the second half. Lee emphasized that SK Hynix’s technological leadership in the high bandwidth memory (HBM) sector is its strongest moat, while the company’s technological reserves in traditional DRAM product lines also provide a competitive advantage.
During the technical discussion segment of the meeting, Vice President Kim Yong-sik, responsible for production, addressed the recent industry discussions regarding supply chain issues. Regarding the controversy over the selection of suppliers for the key equipment used in HBM production—the thermal compression bonder (TC Bonder)—Kim stated that the company will adhere to a supplier diversification strategy. It is reported that SK Hynix initially relied entirely on equipment from Hanmi Semiconductor for the production of 12-layer HBM3E, but with Hanwha Semitech becoming the second supplier in early 2025, the previously stable supply relationship has undergone subtle changes.
In the employee interaction segment, the performance bonus system became the most discussed topic. Several employees raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the current system through the online platform. In response, Lee acknowledged that the management system needs optimization: “We indeed should establish smoother feedback channels to make the compensation system fairer and more transparent.” He also suggested that the finance team could hold regular briefings in the future to publicly share company operational data with all employees to enhance understanding and eliminate misunderstandings.
This quarterly communication meeting continued the tradition of SK Hynix’s “THE Communication Event”—where top management directly explains strategies to all employees and collects feedback. Observers noted that in the current complex market environment, such transparent internal communication mechanisms are becoming increasingly important.
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