Intel vs. SK Hynix: Revenue Trends to Help Investors Weigh Which Artificial Intelligence Stock to Buy
SK Hynix's revenue has surged to over $52 billion in the latest quarter, while Intel has remained relatively flat.
In late summer 2026, Intel priced a substantial $20 billion stock offering and initiated a partnership with Applied Materials to advance transistor packaging technologies. Meanwhile, SK Hynix, a leading producer of advanced memory semiconductors, entered into a preliminary agreement to secure federal grants. The company broke ground on a new semiconductor packaging facility in Indiana during August.
Revenue is the total amount of income generated by a business before accounting for operating expenses, salaries, material costs, debt interest, and taxes. It serves as a key indicator of a company's size, market presence, and growth potential.
In 2024, Intel's revenue surpassed SK Hynix's. However, by 2025, SK Hynix's sales had overtaken Intel's, and they have continued to outperform Intel in 2026. This indicates a high demand for SK Hynix's advanced memory components, providing the company with pricing power and leading to historic profitability levels across all major margin metrics in Q2 of 2026. SK Hynix achieved a 76% operating margin in Q2, a significant improvement from 41% the previous year.
The long-term demand's sustainability and the impact of SK Hynix's manufacturing facility expansion on margins remain to be seen. Intel, on the other hand, is experiencing a turnaround in the AI boom. Despite struggling to boost sales in Q4 2025, the company saw its highest quarterly revenue in the past two years in Q2 2026 under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan's leadership. Investors should monitor Intel's revenue trend to verify if this upward trajectory continues.
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