SK Hynix reportedly in talks with Intel on US memory chip plant

South Korean memory chip giant SK Hynix is reportedly in discussions with Intel to manufacture RAM chips in the U.S. for the first time, Reuters reported, citing anonymous sources. The companies have reportedly discussed several options, including one in which SK Hynix would lease space at Intel’s planned factory in Ohio, and another involving a joint venture that could include cloud-service providers.

SK Hynix told TechCrunch on Wednesday that nothing has been finalized. “SK Hynix is exploring various options to strengthen its global competitiveness, but no specific plans or arrangements have been finalized at this time. No decisions have been made regarding the two scenarios mentioned in the article,” the company said in a statement. It remains unclear what types of memory chips SK Hynix would produce in Ohio if a deal goes through.

SK Hynix has benefited enormously from soaring demand for the high-bandwidth memory chips used in AI data centers, and is already building a $3.8 billion advanced-packaging and research facility for AI chips in West Lafayette, Indiana, with mass production expected to begin in 2029; that plant will use DRAM wafers made in South Korea and package them into HBM chips. The push for U.S. production comes as a global chip shortage worsens and the Trump administration seeks to expand domestic manufacturing — the White House said in January it could impose broader tariffs on semiconductor imports while offering relief to companies investing on American soil.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won signaled support for U.S. production in July, saying the company should build factories in the U.S. alongside those in South Korea’s Honam region if feasible; that same month, SK Hynix listed American depositary receipts on the Nasdaq. Any Intel deal could still face scrutiny at home: Seoul says the decision is up to SK Hynix, but a plan involving strategically important chip technology could trigger a government review under a law meant to prevent sensitive technology from leaving the country, according to Reuters. Intel and SK Hynix have worked together before — in 2020, Intel sold its NAND flash-memory business to SK Hynix for $9 billion.

Why it matters

A US memory-chip tie-up between SK Hynix and Intel would mark a rare cross-border consolidation in a sector central to the AI buildout, testing how far Washington’s push for domestic chip production — and Seoul’s tech-security rules — can accommodate it.