The US chip ban has undoubtedly changed the global development of chips, and even Zhang Zhongmou, the founder of TSMC, has said: The globalization of chips is over. Many U.S. chip companies, including Intel, Nvidia, and Qualcomm, are looking for ways to obtain shipping permits or bypass the U.S. chip ban on shipments.
South Korea's semiconductor companies Samsung and SK hynix have also been greatly affected by this. After all, the Chinese market has always been one of the important chip shipment markets for Samsung and SK hynix, with more than 40% of chips eventually shipped to the Chinese market, and nearly half of the production capacity is also located in Chinese factories.
Previously, Samsung and SK hynix were granted a permanent exemption to a certain degree of free shipping and can import semiconductor equipment in mainland factories. However, there is still a very key restriction that has not been relaxed, that is, Samsung and SK hynix's factories in China are not able to introduce EUV lithography machines.
So some rumors began to appear, and some United States ** said: Affected by restrictions, the South Korean giant intends to ** chip factories in China? But in fact, neither Samsung nor SK hynix can leave the Chinese market, not only Samsung directly said that it can't do without, but even SK hynix has already responded.
Previously, SK hynix's $9 billion ** acquired a memory chip factory in Dalian from Intel. After that, many American ** people thought that SK hynix would eventually choose the **Dalian plant. However, SK hynix has publicly stated that it has not considered the ** Dalian wafer factory at all, and SK hynix will maintain its business in China.
It stands to reason that Samsung and SK hynix have always been very concerned about the Chinese market and have always had a number of memory chip factories in China, such as SK hynix has a memory chip factory in Wuxi, with a large production capacity. Samsung has a memory chip factory in Xi'an.
SK hynix's memory chip factory in Dalian spent $9 billion to buy from Intel, and the possibility of ** is not low, why does the United States ** think that SK hynix will finally choose ** factory.
This is actually related to the limitations, as mentioned above, SK hynix is not able to introduce EUV lithography machines at its factories in mainland China. Some of SK hynix's memory chips with 10nm and below processes are produced in mainland factories, and the lithography link in the chip manufacturing process cannot be completed without the EUV lithography machine, and the chips cannot be produced.
This is one of the reasons why the United States will think that SK hynix will be the Dalian plant. In fact, this situation has really had a big impact on SK hynix. However, SK hynix chose to place the production of EUV lithography machines in its factory in Korea.
That is, half of the chip production is shipped back to South Korea, and then the lithography of the EUV lithography machine is completed, and then it is shipped back to China to continue production.
This approach has naturally had an impact on SK hynix's chip production, and has also led to an increase in various costs. Not to mention that there are a lot of transportation costs just to ship back and then ship over, which is actually not a good choice.
However, this move by SK hynix is actually a sign that it will not give up on the Chinese market. According to an industry insider's analysis, this move can not only gain the goodwill of the Chinese market, but also express SK hynix's dissatisfaction with the ban.
To put it bluntly, it's not that SK hynix doesn't want to leave the Chinese market, but that it can't leave the Chinese market. SK hynix has 40% of the memory chips to the Chinese market, if it leaves the Chinese market, this part of the chips SK hynix will be sold to the first place?
Even the local chip semiconductor manufacturers in the United States have been resisting this statement of "decoupling and breaking the chain", and even Nvidia has used China's special version of the chip to bypass the chip ban and ship AI chips. Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang also said: Even if it is restricted, it will continue to launch China's special version of the chip.
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