SK hynix Dalian expansion plans could lift NAND capacity at the Chinese site by about 50% in 2027, according to reports tracing the project to Seoul Economic Daily and industry sources. The company has not announced the build-out in the evidence available, so the dates and capacity figures remain reported plans rather than company guidance.
Solidigm, SK hynix’s U.S. NAND and enterprise-SSD subsidiary, reportedly resumed investment and construction on the second phase of the Dalian facility during the first half of 2026 after a pause of roughly four years. Tom’s Hardware and Stocktwits, each citing Seoul Economic Daily, report that equipment installation could begin as early as November, with mass production targeted for the first half of 2027.
How much capacity could the SK hynix Dalian expansion add?
The reported second phase is designed for about 50,000 wafer starts per month. Reports put the existing Dalian phase at approximately 100,000 wafer starts per month of capacity. Added together, that would be roughly 150,000 wafer starts per month, or 50% above the reported existing capacity.
NAND is nonvolatile flash memory used to retain data without power. It is the chip technology inside solid-state drives, whose controller and flash chips replace the spinning platters and moving heads of a hard drive. For a clearer breakdown of the hardware, see Kernel’s guide to SSDs versus HDDs.
The reports attribute the earlier halt to the memory-market downturn and U.S. restrictions on semiconductor manufacturing equipment bound for China. They also tie the restart to stronger demand for memory and storage tied to AI infrastructure. Those explanations are reported industry context, not a stated rationale from SK hynix in the material available.
Has SK hynix confirmed a Solidigm IPO?
No. A possible Nasdaq listing of Solidigm is a separate and unresolved matter. The Korea Herald reported that SK hynix, responding to reports of a possible stake sale in an Aug. 5 regulatory filing, said Solidigm was considering various options to improve its competitiveness and that no decision had been made.
A listing could, in theory, bring in outside funding while allowing SK hynix to keep control of the subsidiary, but that remains a potential financing route, not an announced transaction. Estimates of its financial effects came from Mirae Asset Securities and should not be mistaken for SK hynix guidance.
The ownership history is less fuzzy. In December 2021, SK hynix completed the first closing of its purchase of Intel’s NAND and SSD business, acquiring Intel’s SSD business and Dalian NAND manufacturing-facility assets for $7 billion, according to SK hynix and Intel. Solidigm was formed as the SK hynix subsidiary handling the acquired SSD business.
For now, the concrete takeaway is narrow: third-party reporting points to a resumed Dalian expansion with a 2027 production target and a claimed 50% capacity increase. SK hynix has publicly left the Solidigm listing question open.
This story draws on original reporting from Tom's Hardware.
