Samsung and SK Hynix are upgrading their Chinese memory factories as local rival YMTC makes waiting for Washington increasingly expensive.
According to Reuters, Samsung plans to move its Xi’an factory to 286-layer V9 NAND, while SK Hynix targets at least 240 layers in Dalian.
Both companies confirmed upgrades were underway in consultation with Washington. Reuters could not establish how much of the necessary equipment had received US approval.
Samsung said: “The company is not expanding production capacity or constructing new manufacturing facilities.”
The factories remain substantial parts of both companies’ manufacturing operations. TrendForce estimates that China accounts for roughly 30–35 per cent of Samsung’s NAND output and 40–45 per cent of SK Hynix’s.
Allowing those plants to fall behind technologically would leave a considerable chunk of their production increasingly exposed to competitors. The upgrades would narrow the gap with their more advanced production elsewhere.
Samsung has shifted roughly 60 per cent of its V-NAND capacity to 286-layer V9 technology and begun producing and supplying V10.
SK Hynix is pushing its domestic factories towards 321-layer NAND. According to Bloter, cited by trendforce.com, that technology became its largest NAND production segment in the second quarter of 2026. Roughly half of SK Hynix’s domestic NAND capacity is expected to shift to 321-layer products by year-end.
