Nvidia supplier SK Hynix’s profit more than doubles, beating estimates as tariffs loom

South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix reported a 7.9% drop in operating profit to KRW 7.4T (US$5.2B) in Q1 this year, while revenue dropped 10.8% to KRW 17.6T.

However, the company outperformed market expectations thanks to intensifying AI competition and a rush of orders from clients looking to get ahead of U.S. tariffs.

SK Hynix's Q1 profit more than doubled, driven by strong sales of advanced chips used in generative artificial intelligence (AI) Chipsets and as some customers stockpiled semiconductors ahead of potential U.S. tariffs.

The company warned that macroeconomic uncertainty creates volatility in demand in the second half of the year but kept its forecast for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) demand to double in 2025, citing supply agreements made with customers a year in advance.

Reference Sources

1. nikkei - SK Hynix's Q1 profit dips 8% despite AI and tariff tailwinds
2. straitstimes - Nvidia supplier SK Hynix’s profit more than doubles, beating estimates as tariffs loom
3. cnbc - SK Hynix quarterly profit soars 158% to top estimates as chip demand surges on AI boom
4. bussinesstimes - Nvidia supplier SK Hynix’s profit soars 158% on AI demand boost - The Business Times
5. cna - Nvidia supplier SK Hynix sees limited tariff impact on AI chips after bumper Q1

South Korea agency says DeepSeek transferred user info, prompts without consent

(Source: Getty Images)

Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek has been accused of transferring personal information to a cloud services platform without users' consent, according to South Korea's data protection authority, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC).

The information, which included device, network and user inputs in ai prompts, was transferred to Servers at Beijing platform volcano engine.

The PIPC suspended new downloads of the DeepSeek app in South Korea in February after it said DeepSeek acknowledged failing to take into account some of the agency's rules on protecting personal data.

DeepSeek's R1 Chatbot stunned investors and industry insiders in January with its ability to match the functions of its Western competitors at a fraction of the cost.

However, countries including South Korea, Italy, and Australia, and some U.S. States have questioned DeepSeek's storage of user data.

The PIPC said DeepSeek had committed to cooperate on its concerns.

The agency highlighted a particular case in which DeepSeek transferred information from user-written AI prompts, as well as device, network, and app information, to a Chinese cloud service platform named Beijing Volcano Engine.

DeepSeek did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reference Sources

1. usnews - South Korea Agency Says DeepSeek Transferred User Info, Prompts Without Consent
2. thestarmy - South Korea agency says DeepSeek transferred user info, prompts without consent
3. straitstimes - South Korea says DeepSeek transferred user data, prompts without consent
4. abscbn - S. Korea says DeepSeek transferred data to Chinese company without consent
5. cnbc - South Korea says DeepSeek transferred user data to China and the U.S. without consent

Poll: 3 in 4 Americans think Trump’s trade policies will increase prices

(Source: AP)

A new poll by the Associated Press-Norc Center for Public Affairs Research has shown that Americans' trust in President Donald Trump to bolster the U.S. economy appears to be faltering.

The poll found that roughly half of U.S. adults believe that Trump's trade policies will increase prices a lot, and another three in ten think prices could go up somewhat. about half of Americans are "extremely" or "very" concerned about the possibility of the U.S. economy going into a recession in the next few months.

While skepticism about tariffs is increasing modestly, this doesn't mean the public is automatically rejecting Trump or his approach to trade.

Reference Sources

1. usnews - Most Americans Expect Higher Prices as a Result of Trump's Tariffs, a New AP-NORC Poll Finds
2. fortune - 3 in 4 Americans think Trump’s trade policies will increase prices: ‘This whole tariff war is just a losing situation’
3. quartz - Most Americans think tariffs will mean higher prices, poll says
4. fortune - Half of Americans are very worried the U.S. is headed toward a recession—and point the finger to Trump’s tariffs
5. abc - Most Americans expect higher prices as a result of Trump's tariffs, new poll finds

The CommonWealth English daily news digest is a service curated by the CommonWealth English team with the help of AI tools.

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