[Edaily Reporter JAEMIN SONG ] SK hynix stated that no specific decisions have yet been made regarding plans to secure investment funds for its subsidiary, Solidigm. The company said it is broadly reviewing options, including raising external capital and injecting its own funds, but will prioritize long-term corporate value and the interests of existing shareholders above all else.

On the 1st, SK hynix issued a statement titled “Clarification Regarding Recent Reports on Solidigm,” stating, “We are reviewing various measures to strengthen Solidigm’s competitiveness, but nothing has been finalized,” and added, “This remains the case at present.”

Recently, market speculation has surfaced that SK hynix is considering raising external capital to secure investment funds for Solidigm. Some observers have expressed concerns that if raising external capital leads to a future IPO of Solidigm, it could spark controversy over dual listings and potentially undermine the value for SK hynix’s existing shareholders.

In response, the company drew a clear line, stating that there is too much uncertainty at this stage to make definitive conclusions about specific plans or their impact. It explained that the decision on whether to utilize external capital or internal funds must be made after comprehensively evaluating not only the financing method but also the economic impact on existing shareholders.

Solidigm is a subsidiary established as part of SK hynix’s acquisition of Intel’s NAND flash and solid-state drive (SSD) businesses. Although it has faced difficulties due to a downturn in the memory market, it has recently been strengthening its business competitiveness, particularly through high-capacity enterprise SSDs (eSSDs) for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.

As the demand for high-capacity storage devices grows alongside the expansion of AI data centers, Solidigm is also evaluating the need for investments to expand production capacity and secure technological competitiveness. However, the company emphasized that decisions regarding funding methods must be made by taking into account not only Solidigm’s investment needs but also SK hynix’s overall investment plans, financial situation, and capital allocation.

SK hynix currently possesses the financial capacity to secure its own investment funds. However, given that investment needs are arising simultaneously across multiple businesses—such as High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), server DRAM, and eSSDs—the company maintains that it cannot always conclude that directly allocating available funds to a specific business is the best course of action.

In particular, the memory industry requires large-scale capital expenditures, and market cycles and the timing of investments directly impact competitiveness. Accordingly, the company plans to make a decision on whether to utilize internal funds or external capital by comprehensively evaluating market conditions, the timing of investments, and the company’s financial situation.

SK hynix stated, “Regardless of which option we consider, we will prioritize enhancing long-term corporate value and shareholder value as our most important criteria.” Once specific plans are formulated, the company plans to review their financial and business implications at the board level and comply with relevant regulations and procedures. The company added that it will also examine the impact on existing shareholders and the necessary shareholder protection measures, and provide a thorough explanation.