SK hynix has announced plans to resume construction of Dalian Fab 2 and increase local monthly NAND production capacity by approximately 50%. Equipment installation is scheduled to begin in November this year, with mass production expected to be established in the first half of 2027.
SK hynix is advancing plans to increase production at its NAND manufacturing base in China, and Solidigm resumed investment in and construction of Dalian Fab 2 in the first half of this year. The new line is expected to have monthly wafer input capacity of approximately 50,000 wafers, bringing total local monthly production capacity to approximately 150,000 wafers when combined with the existing Dalian Fab 1, which has monthly capacity of 100,000 wafers.
Dalian Fab 2, which is being restarted for the first time in four years, is expected to use equipment similar to that at Fab 1. Some reports indicate that its monthly wafer input capacity will be between 40,000 and 60,000 wafers. The main driver of this production increase is a substantial expansion in demand for enterprise solid-state drives (eSSDs) used in AI data centers, while NAND prices are believed to have risen over the past year.
Under a dual-track strategy centered on Dalian Fab 2, Dalian will specialize in mature-process NAND production, while Cheongju will handle mass production of advanced NAND with more than 300 layers. The Dalian facility will focus primarily on 100-layer-class NAND featuring a floating-gate (FG) structure, while advanced NAND production will be consolidated at facilities in South Korea, including Cheongju M17.
Investment in South Korea is also moving forward, with the board approving an investment plan totaling approximately KRW 54.3 trillion. The plan calls for HBM and next-generation DRAM production at Yongin Y2 and NAND flash production at Cheongju M17, respectively, with the scheduled start of construction and cleanroom operation also specified.