SK Hynix, which makes RAM and flash storage for Apple devices, is in talks to lease part of the chip fab Intel is building in New Albany, Ohio, Reuters reported on September 16. It would be the first time the South Korean company fabricated chips in the US, and the other option on the table is a joint venture with Intel and large cloud companies trying to lock in memory supply.
Neither company is calling it close. SK Hynix says it's reviewing several ways to strengthen its chipmaking and that nothing has been decided, while Intel wouldn't comment beyond saying work on the Ohio site continues.
The Apple angle comes from 9to5Mac, and the technology backs it up. TSMC's Arizona plant already makes some Apple processors, but the report notes those are limited to older devices by export restrictions on advanced processes. Memory has no such ceiling. Apple uses industry-standard DRAM and NAND flash, so an Ohio line wouldn't be stuck making yesterday's parts.
Seoul is the first hurdle. South Korea treats chipmaking as a core national technology, and any agreement would need review under its Industrial Technology Protection Act, Korea JoongAng Daily notes. Washington pulls the other way: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has threatened tariffs of up to 100 percent on memory makers without US production.
The fab itself is the slow part. Intel pushed first operations in Ohio to 2030 or 2031, five years behind its original plan, so on Intel's schedule, no iPhone or Mac sold this decade carries memory from this deal. The cloud companies in the joint-venture option are chasing the same AI data center demand that sits behind the memory shortage squeezing the iPhone Ultra. An Ohio lease answers Washington years before it eases any shortage.
