Investing.com — is pursuing plans to build a memory semiconductor manufacturing plant in Japan, according to a media report by South Korea’s Hankyoreh, in what would mark the chipmaker’s first large-scale production investment in the country.
SK Hynix shares rose 1.5% to KRW1.717 million on Friday, sharply outperforming the , which fell 0.67% to 6,806.38.
According to Hankyoreh, SK Hynix is pursuing the construction of a memory-chip fab in Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan, with the investment being discussed at the scale of tens of trillions of won. An industry source cited by the newspaper said SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won had recently visited the area.
The proposed facility would add overseas production capacity as SK Hynix continues to invest in its domestic semiconductor cluster in Yongin-Honam. The report said the Japanese project is being viewed as a preemptive move to expand production capacity as a global memory-chip supply shortage persists.
If completed, the Miyagi fab would make SK Hynix the third foreign semiconductor company to establish a manufacturing plant in Japan, following U.S. memory-chip maker Micron and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
Samsung Electronics currently operates a next-generation semiconductor packaging research center in Yokohama rather than a manufacturing fab, according to the report.
The investment could also strengthen SK Hynix’s ties with Japan’s semiconductor ecosystem, which the Japanese government has been seeking to rebuild. Miyagi is among several regions being developed as semiconductor hubs alongside Kyushu and Hokkaido.
The move could, however, complicate SK Hynix’s broader investment decisions. The report noted that U.S. pressure on South Korean companies to expand memory-chip production in the United States is intensifying, potentially creating competing demands over where future capacity should be built.
The report also highlighted potential political and public opposition in South Korea to large-scale investment in Japan, particularly because semiconductors are considered a strategic industry.
The report did not provide a final investment amount, construction timeline or confirmation that the project has been formally approved by SK Hynix’s board.