Solidigm, the US unit of South Korea’s SK Hynix, wants to install additional US made equipment from suppliers including Lam Research, Applied Materials and KLA in unused space at the Dalian NAND plant in China, and is making its plan to build a new US NAND factory contingent on receiving the export licence, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. SK Hynix told Reuters that equipment installation for the Dalian space known as Mod B is being carried out in consultation with and under authorization from the US government, and that no capacity expansion is being sought for that space, which was completed in 2023. Commerce, which revoked the earlier licence exemptions for Korean fabs in China last year, has not yet issued a 2027 licence for the site and did not respond to a request for comment.
SK Hynix ties US factory plan to China equipment licence
SK Hynix's US unit Solidigm is seeking a US licence to install more chipmaking equipment at its Dalian plant in China and is making a planned US NAND factory contingent on that approval, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: The linkage puts Washington's two chip goals in direct tension: the export controls meant to slow China's semiconductor capacity are now the stated price of a new American memory fab, at a moment when NAND prices have risen sharply on AI data centre demand.
Data as of Thursday, October 15, 2026, overnight Toronto time. Single-sourced to a Reuters exclusive, opened and read in full in syndication; Solidigm declined to comment and the Commerce Department did not respond, so this ships at grade C. Developing item, 2 to 3 sentences by design.
Sources
- Exclusive-SK Hynix conditions new US factory on more US chip equipment exports to China, sources say · Reuters · 2026-10-14
- SK Hynix seeks U.S. chip equipment exports to China tied to new factory - Reuters · Investing.com · 2026-10-15