On Wednesday, SK hynix (SKHY.US) addressed market rumors regarding a potential chip manufacturing collaboration with Intel (INTC.US) in the United States, stating that "nothing has been finalized." While the company did not deny that discussions have taken place, it indicated that it continues to evaluate various options to expand its production capacity.
Earlier reports suggested that SK hynix is in talks with Intel over a deal that, if concluded, would mark the company's first venture into producing memory chips on U.S. soil. One potential scenario involves SK hynix leasing part of the facilities at Intel's long-planned wafer fabrication plant in Ohio. Another possibility includes forming a joint venture with Intel and major cloud computing providers that are eager to secure stable memory chip supply.
In its official statement, SK hynix said it is "reviewing various measures, including establishing additional production bases, to strengthen the competitiveness of its memory business," but reiterated that "nothing has been determined at this stage." The company further clarified, "We would like to state that no specific partnership with any particular company or production of memory chips in the U.S., as mentioned in the reports, has been finalized."
Meanwhile, Intel declined to comment on what it referred to as "speculation," but reaffirmed that it continues to move forward with its investment in Ohio to prepare the site for future operations. In pre-market trading on Wednesday, Intel shares rose 2.8%, while SK hynix shares gained 3.3% at the time of writing.
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