SK Hynix is seeking US approval to send more chipmaking equipment to its Dalian facility as it considers building a new NAND flash plant in America amid tightening export controls.
SK Hynix is seeking United States approval to ship more chipmaking equipment to China as it weighs a new NAND flash memory plant in America, according to reporting from Investing.com based on people familiar with the matter. The request centres on expanding production at the company’s Dalian facility, a site that remains important to its global memory output even as Washington tightens controls on semiconductor exports to China.
The move comes at a sensitive moment for the memory industry. Global chip shortages have pushed prices higher, while US export restrictions have made it harder for South Korean suppliers to move advanced equipment into Chinese fabs. According to the reporting, the Commerce Department has been reconsidering the rules that once allowed large chipmakers to operate in China under broader authorisations, replacing them with more limited licence-based approvals.
That shift has already affected the sector more widely. Tom’s Hardware reported that Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix were granted annual licences for 2026 to continue importing US chipmaking tools into China, after earlier waiver arrangements expired at the end of 2025. The same outlet also said the Commerce Department had moved to revoke broader export privileges for several companies, including Intel, Samsung and SK Hynix, beginning on 1 January 2026, in a further tightening of access to US-controlled semiconductor technology.
The new licensing approach reflects a broader Washington strategy: allowing existing Chinese facilities to keep running while limiting any expansion in advanced manufacturing capability. At the same time, US semiconductor supply chains are being reshaped onshore. Tom’s Hardware reported separately that GlobalFoundries and TSMC have agreed a five-year, $2 billion deal to produce silicon interposers in New York for advanced packaging used in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing chips, a sign that manufacturers are deepening their US footprint even as China access becomes more constrained.
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