SK Hynix is the world's second-largest DRAM maker and a key supplier of HBM for AI. Primary fabrication is in South Korea (Icheon and Cheongju). SK Hynix is NVIDIA's primary HBM3e supplier for H100/H200 GPUs. Korean-origin parts face only the 10% Section 122 surcharge.
SK Hynix is headquartered in South Korea, but most components are manufactured in South Korea, China, United States. For US customs purposes, the COO is where the component is manufactured — not where the company is based. Declaring South Korea as COO when parts ship from South Korea is a customs violation.
DRAM and NAND wafer fabrication
Assembly and test (sold Chongqing)
Advanced packaging R&D (future)
| Country | Sec 122 | Sec 301 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 10% | — | 10% |
| China | 10% | 50% | 60% |
| United States | 10% | — | 10% |
* Section 301 rates shown for electronics HTS chapters (8541–8542). Rates vary by product.
| HTS Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 8542.32.0001 | DRAM ICs (H5AN series) |
| 8473.30.1180 | DRAM modules (HMA, HMT series) |
| 8542.32.0071 | NAND flash |
SK Hynix is the world's second-largest DRAM manufacturer and a key supplier of High Bandwidth Memory for AI accelerators. DRAM wafer fabrication occurs primarily at the Icheon campus (M14, M16 fabs) and Cheongju (M15, M15X) in South Korea. NAND flash was produced at Wuxi, China (partially divested) and Cheongju. The Chongqing NAND back-end facility has been sold to Solidigm (Intel's former NAND business). SK Hynix's critical HBM production — used in NVIDIA H100, H200, and GH200 modules — occurs entirely at Korean fabs using TSV (through-silicon via) stacking processes on the Icheon campus. For US customs, South Korea is the declared COO for virtually all SK Hynix memory products imported into the US.
SK Hynix DRAM ICs (H5AN series DDR4, DDR5) classify under HTS 8542.32.0001. DRAM modules (HMA, HMT, HMAA series DIMM and SO-DIMM) classify under HTS 8473.30.1180. NAND flash ICs classify under HTS 8542.32.0071. HBM stacks imported as components for AI board assembly classify under HTS 8542.32.0001 or potentially 8542.33.0000 depending on how they are presented to CBP. For all South Korea-origin SK Hynix products: 10% Section 122, no Section 301. The former Wuxi DRAM assembly (now significantly reduced following US export control restrictions on advanced memory equipment to China) would carry China COO at approximately 60%. Most supply currently entering the US is Korea-COO.
SK Hynix is NVIDIA's primary qualified supplier for HBM3e used in the H100 SXM5 and H200 SXM5 AI accelerator modules. The CoWoS integration of HBM3e stacks onto NVIDIA GPU substrates occurs at TSMC in Taiwan. SK Hynix's HBM3e is the highest-volume HBM product in the market as of Q1 2026. The 10% Section 122 tariff applies to SK Hynix HBM3e stacks imported as bare components. At HBM3e prices of approximately $200 per gigabyte (eight-high stack = 96 GB ≈ $19,200), the duty per H200 GPU's HBM content is approximately $1,920. Data center operators and system integrators should incorporate this into total GPU system cost models when importing H200 or H100 SXM systems from Taiwan.
SK Hynix is a major supplier of LPDDR5 and LPDDR5X for smartphones, laptops, and automotive applications. LPDDR5X at 7,500 Mbps is fabricated at Icheon using 1b nm DRAM process technology. Packaged LPDDR DDP (dual-die package) and MCP (multi-chip package) products are assembled at SK Hynix's Korea facilities or at Wuxi (China) for some commodity packages. For US-imported LPDDR products, confirming Korea COO is important for OEMs assembling laptops or embedded systems domestically, as China-assembled LPDDR would carry the 60% rate. SK Hynix provides origin documentation upon customer request for both Korea and non-Korea site production.
SK Hynix signed an agreement with Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana to establish an advanced packaging research and development facility. This facility is targeted at next-generation HBM integration and 2.5D/3D packaging, with production not expected before 2028–2030. Once operational, US-assembled SK Hynix HBM products could potentially carry US COO for the assembly step, which would eliminate the Section 122 tariff on that value-add. However, the wafer fabrication step would remain in South Korea (15%), and the overall product COO determination for CBP purposes would need to be evaluated against the substantial transformation test at the time of import.
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