The new U.S. entity, tentatively named “AI Company or AI Co.,” will serve as a hub for SK Group’s AI strategies and work to accelerate the technology in global markets, the company said.<\/p>\n
SK Hynix has emerged as a major AI player in recent years due to its leadership in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, a type of memory used in AI chipsets like those from Nvidia<\/a>.<\/p>\n The company’s U.S. expansion comes as other tech giants intensify investments in AI, driving intense demand for memory chips.<\/p>\n SK Hynix said that it will create the new “AI Company” by restructuring its California-based subsidiary Solidigm, an enterprise solid-state drive (SSD) manufacturer created in 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n Solidigm’s operations will then be transferred to a new entity named Solidigm Inc.<\/p>\n The planned investments in AI Co. are expected to be deployed on a capital-call basis, with plans for further strategic investments in American AI firms to boost synergies across SK Group affiliates.<\/p>\n The announcement follows SK Hynix’s forecast-beating fourth-quarter<\/a> also announced Wednesday, with profits boosted by ongoing shortages across the memory supply chain<\/a> that have pushed up prices.<\/p>\n To capitalize on this surging AI demand, SK Hynix has been accelerating investments and has also committed nearly $13 billion to build an advanced chip packaging plant<\/a> in South Korea.<\/p>\n The plans for a new entity based in the U.S. also align with the priorities of the Trump administration, which has threatened tariffs on semiconductor manufacturers unless they heavily invest in the U.S.<\/p>\n SK Hynix is already in the process of building a $3.87 billion advanced chip packaging fabrication and R&D facility in Indiana, announced<\/a> back in 2024. The facility will produce high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI applications, with operations slated to begin in 2028.<\/p>\n U.S. President Donald Trump has also been engaged in broader tariff negotiations<\/a> with South Korea in recent months. However, the president said on Tuesday that Washington would “work something out” with South Korea following his recent tariff threats, signaling a potential easing of trade tensions.<\/p>\n![\"Chips](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/108249127-17677538821767753878-43368836827-1080pnbcnews.jpg\")
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