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Memory (from 18) estimates, The Times added. Adding up
the semiconductor revenue controlled by
In 2009, the company was put up for sale the DRAM triumvirate, based on IC In-
by its lenders after defaulting on a loan. A sights’ reporting, the figure represented
year later, it was fined about $52 billion for a market share of about $150 billion last
DRAM price fixing. year.
In 2012, the SK Group, probably the third A serving of spuds
largest chaebol in Korea, acquired part We discuss the third largest memory pro-
of the company and soon renamed it SK vider, Micron, extensively in the article
hynix. that begins on page 22. The Idaho-based
memory maker, starting as an unknown
Best quarter decades ago, has grown into an operation
In July, hynix reported revenues of 13.81 with fabs and offices around the world.
trillion won ($9.72 billion) and an operat-
ing profit of 4.19 trillion won ($2.82 bil-
lion).
This was the first time the company ever
posted quarterly revenues over 13 trillion
won. Now, however, memory suppliers,
including hynix, are worried, according to
IC Insights.
Kyung Kye-hyun, Samsung’s co-CEO and
head of its semiconductor unit said, “The
second half of this year looks bad, and This is Micron’’s second Taiwan fab, located in Taoyuan. Both
as of now, next year doesn’t really seem were acquisitions. (Micron)
to show a clear momentum for much im- Now an industry Goliath
provement.”
Once David to the semiconductor indus-
try’s Goliaths (mostly Japanese), Micron
Earnings report is now the third largest producer of DRAM
Near the time of our publication, SK hynix chips and one of the top revenue produc-
was likely to report disappointing 3Q22 ers in the industry.
earnings, according to The Korea Times.
It was also one of the only semiconductor
The three months ended in September companies that continued to perform most
is estimated to produce revenue of 2.5 assembly and test onshore, in Boise, when
trillion won ($1.73 billion), down 38.8 other chip makers had moved those tasks
percent from a year earlier, according to to Asia.
FnGuide, a Seoul-based financial services
company.
The company’s connection to potatoes
originated not only with Idaho’s coveted
Many analysts in Seoul, however, paint a image as a potato-growing state, but also
gloomier picture, forecasting that the chip- next page
maker’s operating profit will miss its
