Solidigm seeks China equipment approval tied to a U.S. NAND factory plan

The move links access to chipmaking gear in China with a new U.S. memory plant, showing how export controls are shaping where capacity can be built.

SK hynix’s Solidigm unit is reportedly trying to trade a U.S. commitment to build NAND flash capacity for permission to send more chipmaking gear to its Dalian, China site, a move that shows how tightly U.S.-China export controls now shape memory expansion plans. Reuters said the company wants to place extra equipment in unused space at Dalian Mod B, which was finished in 2023, while also preparing a U.S. NAND factory, with upstate New York under consideration. The U.S. has already restricted advanced chip and tool exports to China, later tightened those rules, and then revoked some China export exemptions for SK hynix, Samsung and Intel facilities in September 2025 before issuing annual licenses for Samsung and SK hynix. Solidigm is also said to be weighing a 2027 IPO that could raise about $10 billion and value the business at as much as $100 billion.