SK Hynix posts 'best-ever' quarterly profit

South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix posted record profits in the second quarter of the year, the company said on Tuesday, as strong demand for computer-server memory chips drove up prices.

The company's net profit for the April to June period leapt 763 percent from a year ago to 2.47 trillion won ($2.21 billion) while operating profit also jumped 574 percent to 3.05 trillion won -- both "best-ever" quarterly figures.

Shipments of DRAM chips used in PCs and computer servers rose three percent from the previous quarter with chip prices up 11 percent, thanks to strong demand from the server sector, the firm said in a statement.

Demand for NAND flash memory chips used in smartphones and other mobile devices slowed due to "sluggish demand growth in smartphones", SK Hynix said, adding it expects performance to pick up in the latter half of the year.

"The launch of new smartphones using high capacity NAND flash memory chips will boost demand," it said.

The firm's overall sales jumped 70 percent from a year ago to 6.69 trillion won, also a record-high.

Despite the strong figures, SK Hynix shares were down 1.2 percent in early morning trade on the Seoul stock market.

The company is the world's second-biggest maker of DRAM chips after Samsung Electronics. 

SK Hynix is currently seeking to take over the semiconductor unit of troubled Japanese tech giant Toshiba, with a consortium led by the firm reportedly offering to pay more than $9 billion. 

If the deal goes through, it could make SK Hynix the global number two maker of NAND memory chips, up from its current fifth place.