Source: Global Times
[Global Times Technology Comprehensive Report] On January 15, in the context of the rapid development of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry driving a continuous increase in global memory demand, the world's second-largest memory chip manufacturer SK Hynix recently announced an accelerated release of production capacity. Its two new wafer plants in South Korea will start operations ahead of schedule to ease the tight supply situation in the market and support the stable development of global AI infrastructure and the consumer electronics industry.
It is reported that Park Sung-soo, the head of SK Hynix's U.S. subsidiary, told Reuters in an interview that to ensure sufficient memory supply for AI infrastructure, the company plans to advance the start-up time of its first factory at the new Yongsan campus in South Korea by three months, with an expected official launch in February 2027. This factory is one of the core projects of SK Hynix's "Semiconductor Cluster" investment plan, which involves a total investment of 600 trillion won, eventually building four wafer plants to comprehensively strengthen the company's capacity layout in the memory chip sector. At the same time, SK Hynix also plans to start placing silicon wafers in the newly built M15X plant in Cheongju next month, officially starting mass production of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, further improving the supply system of high-end memory products.
As a key supplier to core technology companies such as NVIDIA, SK Hynix's expansion has drawn significant market attention. Although Park did not disclose the specific capacity of the first factory in Yongsan, analysts pointed out that its capacity is expected to be comparable to that of SK Hynix's Yichuan campus, which already houses several mature factories. The release of new capacity will significantly alleviate the supply pressure on global customers.
Currently, the global memory chip market is experiencing an unusual period of prosperity. Driven by the surge in demand for AI data center construction, according to data from TrendForce, the prices of some memory products in the fourth quarter of 2025 have increased by more than 300% year-on-year. Memory shortages have not only pushed up the prices of consumer electronics such as smartphones and PCs but have also somewhat slowed down the progress of AI infrastructure construction. In this context, the market procurement model is undergoing structural changes, with many customers, including major cloud service providers, shifting from traditional one-year contracts to multi-year supply agreements to ensure long-term stable memory supply.
Facing the continuously strong market demand, SK Hynix is dynamically adjusting its production plans on a monthly basis to ensure precise alignment between capacity and customer needs. Park said that the current memory chip market is undergoing a structural transformation, with demand "exceptionally large" and no signs of cooling down yet. Market performance also confirms the industry's prosperity. Over the past year, SK Hynix's stock price has risen by 280%, second only to Samsung Electronics among global semiconductor companies. (Chunjun)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7595479751372866075/
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