SK Hynix Explores First US Memory Chip Production With Intel

 Intel’s unfinished Ohio manufacturing buildout could wind up getting an unexpected tenant: SK Hynix, according to Reuters.

The Korean memory giant is exploring several ways to establish chip production in the United States, including a possible arrangement involving Intel’s Ohio facilities. One concept would give SK Hynix access to unused factory capacity there. A more ambitious structure could bring Intel, SK Hynix and major cloud companies together in a new partnership aimed at increasing the supply of memory needed for AI infrastructure.

Reuters reports that nothing has been finalized, and exactly what SK Hynix might produce in Ohio remains an open question. The company makes everything from conventional DRAM and NAND storage to high-bandwidth memory, where it has become a critical supplier to the AI industry.

The timing makes sense for both companies. AI data-center construction has created enormous demand for memory, while SK Hynix is being pushed by customers and governments to increase production. Intel, meanwhile, has billions of dollars tied up in an Ohio expansion that has taken much longer than originally planned. The first factories there are now expected around 2030 and 2031.

Building memory chips in America would carry a higher price tag than doing so in Asia, where SK Hynix already benefits from an established semiconductor ecosystem. But economics are no longer the only consideration. Washington has been aggressively trying to move more semiconductor manufacturing onto American soil, including by threatening steep tariffs on overseas producers that fail to expand U.S. capacity.

That creates an awkward balancing act for SK Hynix.

South Korea also wants more semiconductor investment at home and treats some advanced chip technologies as strategically important.

Moving production of sophisticated memory such as HBM or DRAM overseas could therefore face additional scrutiny from Seoul.

SK Hynix says it is examining different options for expanding its manufacturing base but has made no final decision regarding Intel or U.S. memory production. Intel has declined to discuss the reported negotiations while reiterating that work on its Ohio site continues.

For Intel, even an exploratory deal offers an intriguing possibility: turning part of a delayed and enormously expensive manufacturing project into capacity for one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI boom. Investors liked the idea.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/sk-hynix-explores-first-us-memory-chip-production-intel