Overview
- SK hynix issued a rare public statement supporting a proposal to cut the required ownership stake for a holding company’s second-tier unit in a third-tier project subsidiary to 50% from 100%.
- Allowing a second-tier subsidiary to set up a special purpose company with external investors would, the firm says, ease financial strain and sustain long-term semiconductor investment.
- The government outlined the ownership-rule change in July as part of a competitiveness push for advanced industries, and the plan remains under consideration.
- The company cited steep cost inflation, noting a 33,000-square-meter clean room that cost about 7.5 trillion won in 2019 now requires around 20 trillion won for the M15X fab, and the Yongin cluster estimate has climbed above 600 trillion won from 120 trillion won.
- SK hynix pointed to international precedents such as Intel’s 51:49 joint venture with Brookfield for a $30 billion plant in Chandler, Arizona, arguing similar structures are standard in major economies.