美国官员暂缓批准SK海力士（000660.KS）扩大中国产能所需的美国芯片制造设备出口许可，使这家韩国芯片制造商在纽约建设新内存芯片工厂的计划变得更加复杂，知情人士透露。
US officials have held up approval for American chipmaking equipment needed by SK Hynix (000660.KS) to expand production in China, complicating the South Korean chipmaker's plans for new memory-chip plants in New York, according to people familiar with the matter.
知情人士称，SK海力士正寻求美国出口许可为其大连工厂配备设备，理由是在那里增加产量将有助于为其计划中的美国扩张提供资金。但商务部尚未批准新许可。
SK Hynix is seeking US export licenses to equip its Dalian plant, arguing that increased production there would help fund its planned US expansion. But the Commerce Department has yet to approve the new licenses, the people said.
知情人士称，其Solidigm子公司计划投资约450亿美元，在纽约州马西建设两座NAND闪存工厂，投资额未来可能达到约1000亿美元。NAND闪存是一种断电后仍能保留数据的存储器，用于数据中心存储。
Its Solidigm unit plans to invest about $45 billion and build two NAND plants in Marcy, New York, two people said, with investment potentially reaching about $100 billion over time. NAND is memory that retains data even when power is turned off and is used for storage in data centers.
这些谈判引发了一个问题：特朗普政府为了吸引外资和将芯片制造引回本土，究竟愿在多大程度上放宽为防止美国技术助长中国军力而设立的国家安全护栏。
The negotiations raise questions about how far the Trump administration is willing to bend national security guardrails established to keep US technology from aiding China's military, in order to bring foreign investment and chipmaking onshore.
美国国会设立的两党小组——美中经济与安全审查委员会成员Leland Miller表示：“归根结底，如果没有白宫的绿灯，这一切都无法推进。”白宫未立即回应置评请求。
"Ultimately, none of this is going to go forward without a green light from the White House," said Leland Miller, a member of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a bipartisan panel created by the US Congress. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
知情人士称，谈判仍在继续，批准大连扩产是SK海力士纽约计划的核心。
Negotiations are continuing, the people said, with approval for the Dalian expansion central to SK Hynix's plans in New York.
知情人士透露，自8月下旬以来，SK海力士美国子公司Solidigm的高管已与商务部官员会晤近10次。知情人士称，该公司需要在中国提高产量并开发更先进的NAND闪存制造工艺以创造收入，从而建设美国工厂并保持竞争力。
Executives from SK Hynix's US subsidiary, Solidigm, have met nearly 10 times with officials from the Commerce Department since late August, one of the people said. The company needs to ramp up production and develop more sophisticated NAND chipmaking in China to generate revenue to build a US facility and to stay competitive, the people said.
据知情人士透露，在上周的一次会议中，美国商务部次长杰弗里·凯斯勒坚持其立场，即美国不会允许更多美国芯片制造工具用于升级或扩大产能，尽管该部门尚未正式拒绝向大连空置洁净空间出口美国设备的许可证。知情人士称，双方还在就一份单独的许可证进行谈判，该许可证用于2027年向大连工厂提供设备以维持运营。美国商务部发言人未立即回应置评请求。
In a meeting last week, Commerce Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler held to his position that the US would not allow more American chipmaking tools to upgrade or expand capacity, the person said, though the department has not formally denied a license to export American equipment to fill empty clean space in Dalian. The two sides are also negotiating a separate license for 2027 for equipment to keep up the Dalian facility, the person said. A spokesperson for the Department of Commerce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Solidigm在上周的一份声明中表示：“作为一家美国创立且总部设在美国的公司，Solidigm定期评估战略替代方案，以最好地服务客户并增强其长期竞争力。公司目前正在探索在全球潜在地点建设NAND闪存晶圆厂的选项。尚未就任何具体行动方案做出决定。” Solidigm坚持其上周的声明。SK海力士未在非工作时间立即回应置评请求。
In a statement last week, Solidigm said: "As a US-founded and headquartered company, Solidigm regularly evaluates strategic alternatives to best serve its customers and enhance its long-term competitiveness. The company is currently exploring options for building a NAND memory fab at potential locations around the world. No decision regarding any specific course of action has been made." Solidigm stuck to its statement from last week. SK Hynix did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours.