The US government is reported to have put on hold export approval for US-made semiconductor manufacturing equipment destined for SK hynix's Dalian plant in China, with the development expected to affect its NAND plant investment plan in New York State.
According to Reuters, the US government has not yet approved an export license for equipment destined for the Dalian plant, potentially hindering the company's plan to build two NAND flash memory plants in Massena, New York.
Solidigm is reported to be pursuing a plan to invest approximately $45 billion to build two NAND flash memory plants in Massena, New York, with the aim of expanding production capacity for storage equipment for data centers.
One focus of the export-approval issue is whether bringing equipment into the Dalian plant should be regarded as an expansion of production capacity. The plant's cleanrooms were already built in 2023, and some view the equipment deliveries as not constituting an immediate expansion of production capacity.
The US Department of State has maintained its position since last year of not permitting additional deliveries of US-made equipment intended to improve technology or expand production capacity at semiconductor plants in China.