SK Hynix to Trade Chip Equipment Exports to Its China Facilities for U.S. Plant Construction

Reports say SK Hynix is seeking U.S. approval to ship more chipmaking equipment to China as it considers building a new NAND chip plant in America.

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Solidigm is reportedly laying out plans to build a NAND flash memory chip factory in the United States, and is considering upstate New York as a potential location for the facility.

NAND flash chips are used primarily in solid-state storage drives, used in everything from laptops and smartphones to artificial intelligence data centers. But a global shortage of parts has driven up the price of everything that goes into data centers, including high-speed RAM chips as well as SSDs, thanks to skyrocketing demand for AI data centers. Research firm Trendforce expects NAND prices to rise 15 to 20 percent in the fourth quarter.

SK Hynix told TechCrunch it is not looking to add capacity at its Dalian Mod B facility, which is slated for completion in 2023. The chip giant added that the installation of the equipment is done in consultation with and with the permission of the US government.

Washington first imposed broad restrictions on exports of advanced chips and chip-making equipment to China in October 2022, citing national security concerns, and tightened the rules in 2023. Then in September 2025, the Trump administration revoked special export exemptions for some SK Hynix, Samsung and Intel facilities in China. Since then, the US has granted annual licenses to Samsung and SK Hynix to ship chips to their factories in China.

The United States has also pressured foreign chipmakers to build and expand manufacturing facilities in the United States. In July, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he wanted Samsung and SK Hynix to build chip factories in the country, and that he was in talks with both companies.

Solidigm is said to be preparing for a US initial public offering in 2027, which could raise about $10 billion and value it up to $100 billion.

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Keith Park is a reporter for TechCrunch focusing on technology, startups and venture capital in Asia. He was previously a financial journalist at Mergermarket covering M&A, private equity and venture capital.

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