A PYMNTS Company

EU Regulators To Decide On $9B SK Hynix-Intel Deal By May

 |  April 15, 2021

EU antitrust enforcers will decide by May 20 whether to clear South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix’s US$9 billion buy of Intel’s NAND memory chip business, according to a European Commission filing, reported Reuters.

The US chip giant announced the sale last October, part of a move to divest non-core businesses to focus on its smaller but more lucrative Optane memory business which uses more advanced technology. 

The deal is SK Hynix’s biggest acquisition, which will help it close the gap with market leader Samsung Electronics. NAND chips are used to store data in smartphones and data center servers.

SK Hynix sought EU antitrust approval on April 13. The EU competition enforcer can clear the deal with or without concessions, or it can open a four-month long investigation if it has serious concerns.

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.