SK Hynix in Talks With Intel on First US Memory Chip Production

SK Hynix is in exploratory talks with Intel to manufacture memory chips in the United States for the first time, Reuters reported, citing three sources familiar with the discussions. Two structures are on the table: SK Hynix would lease part of Intel's long-delayed chipmaking complex in Ohio, or the two would form a joint venture together with major cloud companies looking to lock in memory supply.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won signaled the direction back in July. "I think we need to build a factory in the United States. If possible, I believe we should build it," he said, citing "enormous pressure and lobbying from customers and countries to supply more chips." SK Hynix's US footprint today is limited to a chip-packaging plant under construction in Indiana, so an Ohio move would be its first US front-end memory fab.

The catch is Seoul. South Korea's trade ministry told Reuters any decision involving "national core technology" would require review under the Industrial Technology Protection Act, a designation that plausibly covers advanced DRAM and high-bandwidth memory. Reuters does not name which product SK Hynix is proposing to make in Ohio; the company's lineup runs from server and smartphone DRAM to NAND flash to HBM for AI processors.

On the US side, the pressure is loud. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has threatened tariffs of up to 100% on South Korean companies unless they expand American production. Intel has room to offer: it announced a $100 billion Ohio complex in 2022, then pushed first production to 2030-2031 as its foundry business bled, a business the Korea JoongAng Daily reported lost $2.2 billion last year and another $2.4 billion in the first quarter of 2026.

SK Hynix, asked for comment, said only that it is "looking for various acquisition and investment opportunities" and has not decided. It would be a first among the Intel stories we've tracked this quarter to put Korean memory inside a US Intel shell.