SK Hynix is exploring something it has never done before: manufacturing memory chips in the United States.
Reuters reported on September 16 that the Korean memory giant is discussing several possibilities with Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), including leasing part of Intel's long-delayed Ohio complex or forming a venture involving Intel and large cloud customers. SK Hynix said no specific plan has been finalized.
For Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), the talks matter because one of its strongest strategic advantages is being the major U.S.-based memory producer while AI has made DRAM and HBM increasingly scarce.
Intel has committed enormous capital to Ohio, with the broader project potentially reaching around $100 billion over time. Delays have pushed planned production into the next decade. A tenant or joint-venture partner could therefore help Intel share the financial burden of developing the Ohio site rather than relying entirely on its own foundry demand to justify the buildout.
That is the bull case. The bear case is that exploratory talks are a long way from revenue. Bringing advanced Korean memory production to the U.S. could face cost problems, technology-transfer restrictions and objections from Seoul. Intel still needs its core manufacturing roadmap to work.
#long
Reuters reported on September 16 that the Korean memory giant is discussing several possibilities with Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), including leasing part of Intel's long-delayed Ohio complex or forming a venture involving Intel and large cloud customers. SK Hynix said no specific plan has been finalized.
For Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), the talks matter because one of its strongest strategic advantages is being the major U.S.-based memory producer while AI has made DRAM and HBM increasingly scarce.
Intel has committed enormous capital to Ohio, with the broader project potentially reaching around $100 billion over time. Delays have pushed planned production into the next decade. A tenant or joint-venture partner could therefore help Intel share the financial burden of developing the Ohio site rather than relying entirely on its own foundry demand to justify the buildout.
That is the bull case. The bear case is that exploratory talks are a long way from revenue. Bringing advanced Korean memory production to the U.S. could face cost problems, technology-transfer restrictions and objections from Seoul. Intel still needs its core manufacturing roadmap to work.
#long
17 hours ago
