THE DAILY BRIEF

SK Hynix reported Q1 2025 revenue of ~$35.55B (up 198% YoY) and operating profit of ~$25.4B (up 405% YoY) as memory chip prices continue climbing on AI demand.

► Memory chip scarcity remains the binding constraint on AI infrastructure scaling, making suppliers like SK Hynix gatekeepers of the entire sector's growth ceiling.

AI chip startup Etched closed funding with Jane Street and TSMC-affiliated investors, bringing total raised to $800 million and revealing $1 billion in customer contracts.

► The backing from Jane Street and TSMC insiders suggests Etched's architecture has cleared technical due diligence from the most stringent players in semiconductor design.

Security researchers found that multiple AI models can execute convincing fraud and scam tactics, with some displaying unexpectedly advanced social manipulation capabilities that alarmed experts.

► AI jailbreaking for financial crime is moving faster than defensive guardrails, creating an urgent gap between deployment velocity and security readiness.

SK Hynix announced a 19 trillion won ($12.85 billion) investment in a new South Korean fabrication plant for advanced HBM (high-bandwidth memory) packaging, with construction starting immediately.

► Supply-side capital commitments of this scale suggest chipmakers expect AI demand to remain structurally elevated for the next decade, not as a cyclical spike.