Add as a preferred source on GoogleSamsung, SK Hynix Upgrade China Plants as NAND Competition Rises
Samsung's Xi'an project targets 40,000 wafers per month by December 2027, while YMTC held 38.5% of China's NAND market in Q2 2026.
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are upgrading their China NAND plants to make higher-layer chips as competition from Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) grows and artificial intelligence boosts demand for storage.
Samsung is preparing its Xi'an plant to produce 286-layer V9 NAND, up from chips around 200 layers today. The factory accounts for about 40% of Samsung's global NAND output. The project targets monthly production of 5,000 wafers by Dec. 2026 and 40,000 by Dec. 2027, without adding capacity or building a new factory.
SK Hynix plans to upgrade its Dalian plant from products around 192 layers to NAND chips with at least 240 layers. It has approval to make chips up to 240 layers there and may seek U.S. approval for research on products above 300 layers.
YMTC held 38.5% of China's NAND market in the second quarter of 2026, compared with Samsung's 33.5% and SK Hynix's 17%. U.S. export controls introduced in 2022 require annual licenses for some U.S.-made equipment used at the China plants.
John Kim
John Kim reports on the digital-asset business for TokenPost. Send corrections or tips to info@tokenpost.com.