Behind SK hynix’s groundbreaking accomplishments lies the power of its ‘one-team’ spirit. Achieving record-breaking performance, developing world-best products, and securing the No. 1 position in the AI memory market—these remarkable milestones were all made possible through the unified efforts of every employee. In a new series, the SK hynix Newsroom looks back on the moments when this one-team spirit, the driving force behind SK hynix’s success story, truly shined.
This first episode highlights the challenges SK hynix has faced since its founding and explores how the strength of one-team emerged throughout its history.
Overcoming the Latecomer Challenge to Achieve Profit Turnaround
SK hynix entered the semiconductor industry in 1983 at a time when the market was dominated by a duopoly between the United States and Japan. Venturing into this field as a latecomer from South Korea, a country that was not yet known for semiconductors, appeared to be a major challenge. However, SK hynix boldly took on this task.
Despite SK hynix’s initial enthusiasm, the company faced significant adversity as it had difficulty narrowing the technological gap with the market leaders. There was some progress as the company built the Icheon fab after a delay and successfully began trial production of its 16 kilobit (Kb) SRAM1. However, this progress was halted by holdups in product development and poor production performance.
1Static random-access memory (SRAM): Volatile memory that holds memory permanently as long as power is supplied. Unlike DRAM, it does not have to be refreshed periodically to keep storing data.
As a result, the company found itself at a critical juncture just two years after its launch. In response, SK hynix decided to focus on securing talent and strengthening its technological capabilities in a move which brought outstanding results. By expanding its R&D workforce and infrastructure, the company laid the foundation for technological growth. In 1987, it developed a 256 Kb DRAM using its own technology.
This momentum continued beyond 1988, bolstered by favorable industry conditions during the industry upturn. SK hynix successfully developed in-house its 1 megabit (Mb) and 4 Mb DRAM, marking a series of breakthroughs in DRAM technology. In 1988, strong sales of the 256 Kb DRAM led the company to post a profit. This was a significant milestone achieved only five years after its founding.
At the time, employees united under the “Operation 150” initiative. This program aimed to achieve a 50% yield within 100 days through a collective effort to overcome the disadvantages of being an industry latecomer. Such progress would have been impossible without the company’s strong determination and the unwavering dedication of its employees. This one-team spirit, which played a pivotal role in helping SK hynix establish itself in the semiconductor industry, would go on to become a key part of its DNA for overcoming future obstacles.
Dramatic Revival Through Resilient DNA and One Team Spirit
SK hynix’s one-team spirit once again shone through during the recession that struck during the early 1990s. At the time, the company responded to the downturn by doubling down on investments. Predicting a turnaround, it made a multi-billion-won investment in the mass production of 16 Mb and 64 Mb DRAMs to prepare for the future.
In 1995, the semiconductor industry experienced an unprecedented boom, just as SK hynix had anticipated. The company saw significant profits from its bold investments in 16 Mb and 64 Mb DRAMs. Once again, the unified one-team spirit, where everyone showed their belief in the company and came together, resulted in key achievements. As competition in the industry intensified following the peak of the boom, SK hynix members once again came together as one, declaring “Labor-Management Unity.”2
2Labor-Management Unity: A declaration between SK hynix employees and management that formalized the one-team spirit. The declaration is derived from the Korean phrase Shinto Bul-i, which in this context means “the workers and company are one.”
The most significant economic challenges came in 2001. The recession that returned that year was more severe than those before. Moreover, the company faced a significant financial burden and the collapse of the dot-com bubble. As a result, SK hynix entered a workout program, or joint creditor initiative, and there were fears that the company would be sold for below its market value.
However, the employees never gave up. With the mindset of “saving every penny,” they returned their salaries and took unpaid leave. The citizens of Icheon also stepped forward, launching the “Save hynix Movement” and the “Buy hynix Stock Campaign” to support the company’s recovery.
Meanwhile, SK hynix’s researchers worked night and day, successfully modifying existing equipment instead of relying on costly new tools to develop products using the advanced 0.15 micron3 process. This initiative later became known as the legendary “Blue Chip” project. SK hynix went on to achieve major milestones, including the development of 1 Gb DDR2 DRAM and 512 Mb NAND flash memory, as well as the mass production of 300 mm wafers. In 2005, the company officially concluded its workout program ahead of schedule, clearly demonstrating the power of unity between workers and management, as well as its one-team spirit.
3Micron: One-millionth of a meter. The smaller the number, the more advanced the miniaturization.
AI Memory Market Leader Powered by One-Team Spirit
SK hynix’s one-team spirit shone even brighter during its successful times. In 2012, the company joined SK Group, further boosting its upward trajectory. SK Group had recognized the company’s high growth potential and boldly decided to make significant investments.
With the support of trillions of Korean won, SK hynix actively pursued global partnerships, investments, and R&D while expanding its fabs to steadily prepare for the future. The company not only advanced its technology but also cultivated a stronger corporate culture. Programs were introduced to support employee growth, and “one team” was internalized as the company’s core culture. This fostered an environment for collaboration and innovation among employees and departments.
United by the one-team spirit, the company’s members produced innovative products that met customer and market demands, such as the 10 nm-class DDR5 DRAM, ultra-high-density 4D NAND flash, and high-capacity SSDs, exceeding annual performance records.
The key highlight was undoubtedly HBM4. SK hynix’s early preparations for HBM, starting in 2009, led to explosive growth as the company entered the AI era. The foundation of this success lies in the one-team culture. Through this, all employees, from those in the front-end team designing products and developing components to those in the back-end team responsible for electrically connecting the chips, worked together to improve performance. As a result, today’s HBM was born from breakthrough technologies such as TSV5, MR-MUF6, and Advanced MR-MUF7.
4High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value, high-performance product that significantly enhances data processing speeds compared to conventional DRAMs by vertically stacking multiple DRAM chips. There are six generations of HBM, starting with the original HBM and followed by HBM2, HBM2E, HBM3, HBM3E, and HBM4.
5Through-Silicon Via (TSV): A technology to connect the upper and lower layers of DRAM chips by creating thousands of microscopic holes in each of the chip layers and running vertical electrodes through those openings.
6Mass Reflow Molded Underfill (MR-MUF): The process of stacking semiconductor chips, injecting liquid protective materials between them to protect the circuit between chips, and hardening them.
7Advanced MR-MUF: A next-generation MR-MUF technology that incorporates warpage control, allowing chips which are 40% thinner than conventional chips to be stacked without warping. Additionally, the use of a new protective material improves heat dissipation.
This momentum continued through to HBM4. In March 2025, SK hynix became the first in the world to supply HBM4 samples to major customers. By securing the No. 1 position in the AI memory market, SK hynix, which entered the semiconductor industry as a latecomer in 1983, had finally become an industry powerhouse.
Looking ahead, SK hynix, which continues to experience consistent growth, is expanding its operations by investing KRW 120 trillion (USD 86 billion) in the construction of the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster. It is also preparing for the establishment of new fabs such as M15X in Cheongju, Korea and the advanced chip packaging plant in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Faced with the new challenge of becoming a full stack AI memory provider, the employees are once again demonstrating the power of their one-team spirit to achieve their goals.
Read more articles from the One-Team Spirit series
