As the AI training clusters and data centers continue to expand, the supply of high-bandwidth memory is becoming increasingly scarce. Reports indicate that SK Hynix is discussing the possibility of producing storage chips in the United States with Intel, and after this news broke, Intel's stock price rose by about 5%.
Cooperation is still in the preliminary discussion stage.
The current negotiations are still in the exploratory stage, and no final decision has been made yet. Reports mention that one of the options discussed by both parties is for SK Hynix to lease part of the production capacity at Intel's planned manufacturing site in Ohio.
Another possibility is to establish a joint venture, which in addition to Intel and SK Hynix, may also include large cloud computing companies that wish to secure the supply of memory chips. If this cooperation comes to fruition, Intel's postponed Ohio project is expected to gain a more prominent position in the AI supply chain.
AI Drives the Demand for Advanced Storage
SK Hynix is one of the main suppliers of high-bandwidth memory ( HBM ). Such products are typically used in conjunction with AI accelerators and are key components in current large-model training and inference infrastructure.
- HBM is the commonly used supporting memory for AI accelerators.
- Local production in the United States helps to meet the needs of cloud service providers.
- Supply chain layout can also diversify regional manufacturing risks.
As companies build larger-scale AI systems, the importance of storage chips continues to rise. By shifting some of its production capacity to the United States, SK Hynix can get closer to local large cloud customers, while also reducing its dependence on manufacturing processes in Asia.
Intel Receives New Momentum Again
This news also adds another factor that could boost Intel's stock price this year. The report indicates that Intel's stock price in 2026 has approached three times its previous level.
Just last week, the market saw Intel's stock price soar due to news of a price increase for CPU, with a single-day increase of about 9%. If Intel can attract storage chip customers like SK Hynix this time, the commercial prospects and market expectations for Intel's Ohio project could further improve.
