SK hynix, HD Hyundai, and LS Group present future growth strategies.
SK hynix, HD Hyundai, LS Group, and other major companies unveiled their future growth strategies and plans to enhance shareholder value during their regular general meetings of shareholders on the 27th. ◆SK hynix presents blueprint for the 'AI memory market'. At the 77th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held at SK hynix's headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, CEO Kwak No-jeong stated, "This year, the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) quantity has already been sold out," and added, "Next year's supply will be discussed with customers in the first half of the year to further strengthen revenue stability." Currently, SK hynix is supplying its 5th generation HBM3E 12-layer products to major clients such as Nvidia. On the 19th, it delivered the world's first 6th generation HBM4 12-layer samples to key customers and began the certification process. SK hynix plans to start mass production of HBM4 in the second half of this year after customer certification. In addition to HBM, SK hynix plans to expand its presence in the data center market by enhancing the competitiveness of various product lines, including SoCAM, high-capacity enterprise solid-state drives (eSSDs) based on quad-level cell (QLC) technology. The company also aims to establish itself as a "full-stack AI memory provider" by expanding next-generation products such as LPCAMM 2 and UFS 5.0, which are designed for on-device AI applications. CEO Kwak stated, "This year, the HBM market is expected to grow ninefold compared to last year, and the AI server SSD market is projected to grow 3.5 times." He added, "Since HBM products require high investment costs and long production periods, we are enhancing sales visibility through pre-negotiations with customers." Meanwhile, last year, SK hynix achieved its highest-ever performance with revenue of 66.193 trillion won and operating profit of 23.467 trillion won. This year, the proportion of HBM in the overall DRAM sales is expected to exceed 50%. Additionally, in preparation for future AI memory demand, SK hynix has started the construction of the Yongin semiconductor cluster and plans to gradually expand cleanroom facilities. At the shareholders' meeting, four resolutions, including the reappointment of CEO Kwak as an inside director and the appointment of Han Myung-jin, CEO of SK Square, as a new non-executive director, were approved as originally proposed. ◆HD Hyundai drives AI and digital transformation. HD Hyundai held its 8th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders at the HD Hyundai Global R&D Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Chairman Kwon Oh-gap stated, "HD Hyundai plans to enhance the competitiveness of its existing businesses and continue to take on new challenges by advancing the group's future technology development and pushing forward with artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation." During the meeting, four resolutions were approved: ▲Approval of the financial statements ▲Election of directors ▲Appointment of Audit Committee members ▲Approval of director compensation limits. HD Hyundai also reappointed Lee Ji-su, a lawyer from Kim & Chang law firm, as an outside director and Audit Committee member. The company reported a net profit with a revenue of 67.7656 trillion won and an operating profit of 2.9832 trillion won last year. At this shareholders' meeting, HD Hyundai decided to pay a year-end dividend of 900 won per share, in line with its mid- to long-term dividend policy. Including quarterly dividends, the total annual dividend per share will be 3,600 won. The company also plans to continue dividends in the future and pursue various measures to enhance shareholder value. Chairman Kwon Oh-gap emphasized, "Despite the challenging domestic and international environment, including global geopolitical risks, the group's market capitalization grew more than twice compared to the previous year, achieving remarkable progress." He added, "We will continue preparing for the future and lay a solid foundation for growth over the next 100 to 200 years." ◆LS Vice Chairman Myung No-hyun apologizes to shareholders. At the regular shareholders' meeting held at LS Yongsan Tower in Seoul, Vice Chairman Myung No-hyun apologized to shareholders regarding the recent controversy over dual listings. Vice Chairman Myung stated, "Despite achieving the milestone of surpassing 1 trillion won in operating profit for the first time, I apologize for causing concern among shareholders due to the recent dual listing controversy. I believe this happened because of insufficient communication regarding the financial strategy and shareholder return policies, including the listings of our affiliates, and I stand here with a sincere sense of regret." LS is currently pursuing the domestic listing of its subsidiaries, including LS E-Link, LS Power Solutions (formerly KOC Electric), and Essex Solutions. Concerns have been raised that the listing of these subsidiaries could decrease the corporate value of the parent company, LS. In response, LS has announced a shareholder return strategy that includes increasing dividends by more than 5% annually, aiming to raise dividends by over 30% by 2030. In addition to regular dividends, the company is actively considering interim dividends within its financial resources and plans to hold corporate briefings at least twice a year to strengthen communication with shareholders. Vice Chairman Myung emphasized, "We will listen to shareholders' voices and actively communicate with shareholders and the market during the IPO process to ensure that shareholder value is not compromised." ChatGPT를 사용하여 번역한 기사입니다.
