SK Hynix is in talks with Intel about making memory chips on US soil, according to people familiar with the discussions cited by Reuters on 16 September. If realised, such a project would be SK Hynix’s first memory fabrication in the United States. The talks are exploratory. There is no signed agreement, production timetable or decided chip type — DRAM, NAND or HBM.

One scenario would involve leasing part of the Ohio complex Intel is building, delayed from the 2022 plan, with start-up now aimed towards 2030–2031. Another could involve a venture with Intel and major cloud companies seeking secure memory supplies. Reuters could not establish which chips would be made there.

SK Hynix told the agency it is reviewing various measures, including additional production bases, but that “no matters have been determined at this stage”. Intel declined to comment on what it called speculation, while saying Ohio preparations continue. In Korea the company also distanced the report from a done deal.

The backdrop is demand for DRAM and high-bandwidth memory for data centres and AI, plus Washington’s push for semiconductor production on US soil. SK Hynix is already building an advanced HBM packaging plant of about $4 billion in West Lafayette, Indiana, with mass production targeted for the second half of 2029 — packaging, not memory wafers.

Any overseas use of sensitive technology could also require review in Seoul. This article describes talks, not a decided factory. Until both companies make an official announcement, the project remains an option under review.

Photo: U.S. Department of Energy, public domain. Researcher with a silicon wafer. Generic illustration, not the Ohio plant and not an SK Hynix–Intel deal. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Exclusive: SK Hynix in talks with Intel about deal to make memory chips in US (Reuters).