SK Hynix has established Hyaico, a U.S. AI investment subsidiary with up to $10 billion in planned commitments, and SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won will serve as its chairman. According to Sina Finance, the chipmaker disclosed the entity's name and management structure in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday; when the plan was announced in January this year, the subsidiary was provisionally named AI Co.
SK Hynix President Song Hyun-jong will be Hyaico's CEO. Its board will also include former SK Hynix Vice Chairman Park Sung-wook, SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung, and SK Telecom CEO Jeong Jae-hoon.
Hyaico will operate through Solidigm, SK Hynix's U.S. NAND flash subsidiary, and invest in U.S. AI companies and infrastructure projects, including AI factories. The platform is intended to help SK Group expand beyond memory chips into the broader AI ecosystem and enable affiliated companies to share technology and business opportunities. Choi's leadership and the appointment of executives from the group's semiconductor and telecommunications businesses to the board reflect SK Group's plan to coordinate its AI investments.
Hyaico will use a capital-call structure, with SK Hynix and other investors contributing in stages when suitable investment opportunities arise. The $10 billion is the maximum commitment, not an immediate investment. SK Hynix plans to account separately for Solidigm's existing storage business earnings and Hyaico's new AI investment returns. Dividends and profits from the NAND business will be returned to shareholders; the company has not disclosed details of the distribution arrangements. An SK Hynix representative said Hyaico would keep investment operations and profits clearly separate.