SK Hynix approves $38 billion AI memory plant expansion in South Korea
SK Hynix’s board approved an investment of about 54.3 trillion won (≈$38.3 billion) through 2031 to build two new memory‑chip fabs in South Korea. The plan allocates 35.2 trillion won for the second phase of the Yongin “Y2” fab, which will produce DRAM and high‑bandwidth memory, and 19.1 trillion won for the Cheongju “M17” fab, which will make NAND flash.
Construction of the Yongin Y2 fab is slated to start in July 2027, with its first cleanroom expected to be operational in June 2029. The Cheongju M17 fab will begin construction in February 2027, with its first cleanroom targeted for December 2028. SK Hynix said it is also “actively reviewing” additional shareholder‑return measures, with details to be announced in the third quarter. The spending is part of a broader strategy that envisions up to 600 trillion won for the Yongin semiconductor cluster and 100 trillion won for expanding the Cheongju base, aimed at meeting the surging demand for AI‑driven memory.
Entities: Artificial Intelligence (AI) data‑center market · Artificial intelligence (AI) memory market · Assenagon Asset Management S.A. · Cheongju M17 fab · Cheongju M17 plant · Lee Sang-mok · Micron Technology · Micron Technology Inc. · Parallel Advisors LLC · SK Hynix Co., Ltd. · SK Hynix Inc. · Samsung Electronics Co.
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 6 SOURCES] SK Hynix board approved about 54.3 trillion won (≈$38.3 billion) of investment through 2031. (SK Hynix press releases and Reuters reports)
- [● 9 SOURCES] The investment includes 35.2 trillion won for the second phase of the Yongin Y2 fab. (Yongin Y2 fab funding)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Construction of the Cheongju M17 fab is scheduled to begin in February next year, with the first cleanroom expected in December 2028. (Cheongju M17 construction schedule)
- [● 7 SOURCES] SK Hynix is actively reviewing additional shareholder‑return measures, with details to be announced in the third quarter. (Shareholder‑return review)
- [● 9 SOURCES] The investment includes 19.1 trillion won for the Cheongju M17 fab. (Cheongju M17 fab funding)
- [● 6 SOURCES] SK Hynix’s broader plan includes a total of 600 trillion won for the Yongin semiconductor cluster and 100 trillion won for expanding the Cheongju base. (June 2026 SK Hynix announcement)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Construction of the Yongin Y2 fab is scheduled to begin in July next year, with the first cleanroom expected in June 2029. (Yongin Y2 construction schedule)
- [● 7 SOURCES] The expansion aims to meet the surging demand for AI‑driven memory chips. (AI memory demand rationale)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The investment is part of a broader plan to invest 600 trillion won in the Yongin semiconductor cluster and 100 trillion won to expand the Cheongju base. (Broader investment plan)
- [● 4 SOURCES] SK Hynix’s board approved about 54.3 trillion won ($38.3 billion) of investment through 2031. (SK Hynix board approval)