IMPLICATOR
SK Hynix is in exploratory talks with Intel about producing memory chips in the United States for the first time, according to people familiar with the discussions. One option would have SK Hynix lease part of Intel's delayed Ohio campus, while another would create a venture with Intel and major cloud companies seeking to secure memory supplies. A deal could put memory-wafer production on American soil while giving Intel a partner for a site delayed from a 2025 production start to plant completions in 2030 and 2031.
What Changed
- SK Hynix is in exploratory talks with Intel about making memory chips in the United States for the first time, according to people familiar with the discussions.
- One option would have SK Hynix lease part of Intel's delayed Ohio campus. Another would create a venture with Intel and major cloud companies seeking to secure memory supplies.
- SK Hynix said no decisions have been made regarding either scenario. On July 22 it filed a Form 6-K saying it had not pursued an acquisition of the Ohio campus.
- South Korea's trade ministry said any plan involving national core technology would face review under the Industrial Technology Protection Act.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
No agreement yet
Reuters first reported the talks on Wednesday. SK Hynix said the same day that it was considering additional production bases, but that “no decisions have been made regarding the two scenarios mentioned in the article.” Intel declined to comment on what it called speculation and said it continued to invest in preparing the Ohio site.
On July 22, after a South Korean newspaper report said SK Hynix was in talks to buy Intel's Ohio campus, the company filed a Form 6-K saying it “has not pursued, or made any determination regarding, an acquisition” of the land and fabrication plant.
On Aug. 31, a South Korean report said SK Hynix was considering Intel Foundry for part of its HBM4E base-die production. SK Hynix responded that “some of the reports are not true.” Wednesday's statement again said no plans or arrangements had been finalized.
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What Ohio would add
SK Hynix's current U.S. manufacturing project is an advanced-packaging plant in West Lafayette, Indiana. The project will cost more than $4 billion and is scheduled to begin mass production in the second half of 2029. It will package DRAM wafers made in South Korea into high-bandwidth memory. An Ohio operation would add wafer fabrication, a step that SK Hynix does not currently perform in the United States. Micron is the only one of the largest memory makers producing silicon wafers in the country.
Intel announced in 2022 that it could invest up to $100 billion in its Ohio complex, with production then due to begin in 2025. The companies already have a commercial history: Intel agreed in 2020 to sell its NAND business to SK Hynix for $9 billion.
Two of the people familiar with the discussions said manufacturing in the United States costs much more than in South Korea, with one pointing to higher labor and construction costs and a chip supply chain that remains concentrated in Asia. It is not known what type of memory SK Hynix would make in Ohio, and no size, cost or timeline for a deal has been reported.
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Seoul's review
South Korea's trade ministry said the production decision belongs to SK Hynix. Any plan involving “national core technology,” however, would face review under the Industrial Technology Protection Act.
Seoul also has a broader investment negotiation with Washington. South Korea made a $350 billion U.S. investment pledge in 2025, with $150 billion earmarked for shipbuilding and the remaining $200 billion still undecided. Two of the people familiar with the discussions said Seoul wants to use any SK Hynix investment as a bargaining chip in those talks and that Washington is pressing the company to commit quickly to a U.S. expansion.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has threatened tariffs of up to 100% on South Korean and Taiwanese chipmakers that do not expand American production. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won described the company's position in July: “I think we need to build a factory in the United States. If possible, I believe we should build it.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What are SK Hynix and Intel reportedly discussing?
A deal that would have SK Hynix produce memory chips in the United States for the first time. People familiar with the discussions described two options: SK Hynix leasing part of Intel's Ohio campus, or a venture with Intel and major cloud companies that want to secure memory supplies. It is not known what type of memory SK Hynix would make there.
Has SK Hynix confirmed the talks?
No. SK Hynix said it was considering additional production bases but that no decisions have been made regarding the two scenarios. It denied a July 22 report that it was in talks to buy the Ohio campus, and said in August that some reports about Intel making its base dies were not true. Intel declined to comment on what it called speculation.
Why does the Ohio site matter for Intel?
Intel announced in 2022 that it could invest up to $100 billion in its Ohio complex, with production due to begin in 2025. Completion of the site's two planned plants has been delayed to 2030 and 2031, so a memory partner would put a tenant on a site that is years behind schedule.
What does SK Hynix build in the U.S. today?
An advanced-packaging plant in West Lafayette, Indiana, costing more than $4 billion and scheduled to start mass production in the second half of 2029. It will package DRAM wafers made in South Korea. Micron is the only one of the largest memory makers producing silicon wafers in the United States.
Could South Korea stop a deal?
South Korea's trade ministry said the decision belongs to SK Hynix, but any plan involving national core technology would face review under the Industrial Technology Protection Act. Two people familiar with the discussions said Seoul wants to use any SK Hynix investment as a bargaining chip in talks over its $350 billion U.S. investment pledge.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Marcus Schuler
Editor-in-Chief and founder of Implicator.ai. Former ARD correspondent and senior broadcast journalist with 10+ years covering tech. Writes daily briefings on policy and market developments. Based in San Francisco. E-mail: editor@implicator.ai
