▲ SK Hynix
Reuters reported, citing two sources, that SK Hynix is asking the U.S. government for permission to bring U.S.-made semiconductor equipment into its Dalian plant in China on the condition that it builds a factory in the United States.
According to the report, Solidigm, SK Hynix's granddaughter company, intends to bring new equipment into the empty space of "Module B" at its Dalian facility to produce NAND flash memory.
Module B was built in 2023, but the equipment installation was not completed due to the downturn in the memory market.
One source said that expanding production in China would help secure funding for Solidigm's U.S. NAND factory construction.
Another source stated that Solidigm is also considering an initial public offering (IPO) as early as next year.
Reuters previously reported last month that Solidigm is considering building a U.S. NAND factory, with upstate New York as a strong potential candidate location.
In a statement sent to Reuters, SK Hynix said, "The installation of equipment in Module B is proceeding through close consultation and approval from the U.S. government," adding, "We are not pursuing an expansion of production capacity."
The U.S. Department of Commerce revoked the generalized licenses for SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics to bring U.S.-made equipment into their Chinese plants last year.
Since then, it has announced a policy to permit only equipment for operating existing facilities while withholding approval for equipment intended to expand production capacity or upgrade technology.
Market research firm TechInsights analyzed that NAND prices have surged sevenfold since mid-2023 due to demand from AI data centers.
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