THE CRUNCH
SK Hynix's flash memory unit Solidigm is seeking US approval to send American chipmaking equipment to the SK Hynix factory in Dalian, China, according to Reuters, citing anonymous sources. The request is reportedly linked to Solidigm's plans to build a NAND flash memory factory in the US, with upstate New York under consideration as a location. NAND chips go into the solid-state storage used in laptops, smartphones and AI data centres.
The reported aim is to install more equipment in spare space at the Dalian facility to lift NAND output. SK Hynix told TechCrunch it is not seeking to expand capacity at Dalian Mod B, completed in 2023, and said any equipment installation is being carried out in consultation with and under authorisation from the US government.
The ask lands in a tightening trade environment. Washington imposed sweeping restrictions on advanced chips and chipmaking equipment exports to China in October 2022 and tightened them further in 2023, and in September 2025 the Trump administration revoked special export exemptions for certain SK Hynix, Samsung and Intel facilities in China. The US has since granted annual licences to Samsung and SK Hynix for shipping chipmaking equipment to their Chinese plants, and has been pressing foreign chipmakers to build in America; in July, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he wanted Samsung and SK Hynix to build US plants and was in talks with both.
Timing matters because NAND supply is tight. Research firm TrendForce expects NAND prices to rise 15% to 20% in the fourth quarter, driven by surging AI data centre demand that has pushed up the cost of storage and memory across the board. Reuters' sources also say Solidigm is preparing for a 2027 US IPO that could raise around $10 billion and value it at up to $100 billion.