SK Hynix is exploring a first U.S. memory-chip manufacturing base through a potential arrangement with Intel, including leasing part of Intel's Ohio facility or forming a joint venture with Intel and major cloud providers. The discussions remain preliminary, with no decision on the memory products, investment scale or final structure. SK Hynix has no U.S. front-end wafer fab, though it is building an approximately $4 billion advanced-packaging plant in Indiana for AI semiconductors. The deliberations come as Washington presses foreign chipmakers to expand U.S. production, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick outlining tariffs tied to countries' manufacturing commitments and previously warning of levies of up to 100%. A U.S. manufacturing agreement would also face review in South Korea under the Industrial Technology Protection Act, while Seoul urges SK Hynix to support a domestic chipmaking cluster.