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Elon Musk criticized memory suppliers for 'extortionate' pricing during the ongoing DRAM and HBM shortage, without naming them directly, while praising Micron for taking a more 'reasonable' approach that he said builds long-term customer loyalty. Musk did not disclose specific pricing figures or contract terms for any supplier.
SK Hynix shares fell more than 10% and Samsung Electronics dropped 7.1% as an Asian tech sell-off spread Thursday, hitting LG Innotek, Seoul Semiconductor, Samsung SDI, SoftBank, Advantest, Tokyo Electron and Renesas. The rout followed a Wall Street decline after stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation data raised fears of further Federal Reserve rate hikes, with the Nasdaq down 1.88% and the S&P 500 down 1.11%.
SK hynix has unveiled an in-house processing core called the Hynix Transaction Processing Unit (H-TPU), designed to handle routine I/O tasks in SSD controllers alongside traditional Arm CPU cores. Presented by VP Koo In-jae at ISOCC 2026, the chip reportedly uses about 2.5% of a general-purpose CPU core's power and 4% of its area, and SK hynix plans to roll it out across its NAND product lineup, including upcoming enterprise SSD controllers.
Chinese memory chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) said over the weekend it had advanced new chip architecture that increases memory density, prompting sharp declines in global memory stocks. Micron fell 3.7% in premarket trading, SK Hynix closed 10% lower in Seoul, and Samsung Electronics dropped 7.4%, with SanDisk, Seagate and Western Digital also declining. CXMT, which went public on Shanghai's STAR Market in July with a 466% debut surge, reportedly plans to launch a server-memory product based on the new architecture by the end of 2026.
SK Hynix fell more than 8% and Samsung Electronics dropped 7.9%, both hitting their lowest intraday levels since August, as a US semiconductor sell-off spread to Asian markets. SoftBank Group shares sank over 8% in Japan, dragging down chip-related names including Tokyo Electron, Advantest, Lasertec, Disco and Renesas Electronics. The moves followed a 0.44% Nasdaq decline and a 3.9% drop in Micron Technology after China's ChangXin Memory Technologies reported progress on a new chip architecture.
Chinese memory maker CXMT has started mass-producing chips built on its new G5 process, which shrinks the DRAM active-area half-pitch to 11.95nm through quadruple-patterning lithography and uses storage capacitors with a 45:1 depth-to-width ratio. The first products, 24Gb LPDDR5X chips offering 50% more capacity than CXMT's prior generation, are already shipping in two package formats and appearing in mainstream Chinese flagship smartphones.
Acer chairperson Jason Chen said PC prices will keep rising 5-20% through late 2025, plateau in early 2027, then start falling as memory chip supplies normalize sooner than manufacturers claim. He pushed back on suppliers like SK hynix and Adata, who warn shortages could persist until 2030 or beyond, arguing these companies are inflating fears to protect profit margins.
Reuters reports that SK Hynix, which supplies Apple with RAM and flash memory, is discussing a deal with Intel to produce chips at Intel's planned Ohio facility, potentially leasing part of the site. This would mark the first time the South Korean company manufactures memory chips on US soil, though sources say details remain unclear and nothing has been finalized.
SK Hynix is in talks with Intel about producing RAM chips in the United States, according to a Reuters report citing unnamed sources. Options under discussion include leasing space at Intel's planned Ohio plant or forming a joint venture, possibly with cloud-service providers involved, though SK Hynix says no final decisions have been made.
A global memory chip shortage is pushing smaller device makers like Fairphone, Jolla, and Framework to rethink product design, order chips months ahead, and test incoming shipments for counterfeits. Fairphone's CEO says memory now accounts for nearly 60% of the bill of materials on its roughly $400 phones, while SK Hynix's chief has warned the shortage could persist until 2030, peaking in severity around 2027.
SK hynix is reportedly discussing options with Intel for U.S.-based chip production, including leasing space at Intel's under-construction Ohio One facility or forming a joint venture involving Intel and AI hyperscalers seeking HBM supply. The talks come as SK hynix expands its Indiana HBM packaging plant following its $26.5 billion Nasdaq listing, though neither company has confirmed the discussions.
Reuters reported that SK Hynix is in early talks with Intel to produce memory chips in the United States, potentially through leasing space at Intel's Ohio plant or forming a joint venture involving cloud companies. Shares of both firms rose in premarket trading following the report, though sources cautioned no final decisions have been made.