SK hynix subsidiary Solidigm has resumed investment in its second Dalian fab in China after a four-year pause and plans to begin installing production equipment as early as November 2026, with mass production expected in the first half of 2027. The second phase is designed for approximately 50,000 wafer starts per month, which would boost Solidigm's total Dalian capacity from 100,000 to 150,000 WSPM—a 50% increase in NAND production capacity.
Simultaneously, SK hynix is exploring a Nasdaq listing for Solidigm with a reported pre-IPO funding round targeting a $35 billion valuation and raising up to $7 billion, led by Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. The facility will produce floating-gate 3D QLC NAND with over 200 active layers starting in H2 2026, enabling Solidigm to manufacture 245TB-class enterprise SSDs in volume by 2027. Solidigm controls roughly a quarter of the data center-grade SSD market.
For architects, Solidigm's China expansion signals confidence in AI storage demand despite geopolitical risk: the timing (post-U.S. license extensions through 2026) and Nasdaq listing prep suggest SK hynix is placing a deliberate capital bet on high-capacity NAND for data centers, not a distressed sell. The company's Q1 2026 NAND revenue surged 44.6% QoQ to ~$7.5B; a successful IPO would unlock $15B in additional U.S. investment capacity while maintaining SK hynix control.