Part of SK Hynix’s dram production contains defects

Some of the dram components of the South Korean chip manufacturer SK Hynix contain defects. The company has admitted this after questions from The Register. According to the company, it concerns ‘a number of dram products’.

SK Hynix is ​​responding to previous rumors circulating in South Korea that 240,000 branded dram wafers are said to be defective. The South Korean news agency Yonhap wrote that this would amount to a loss of 1.4 billion euros. SK Hynix’s stock immediately plummeted on the Seoul Stock Exchange.

In a statement to The Register, the company writes that the rumors are exaggerated. There are defects, but with a limited number of dram components. Exactly how many, the company cannot say yet, but it estimates that there are no more than with a normal quality control. The company is in talks with customers who have reported issues.

According to the company, the scale of the loss is “totally exaggerated” and “definitely not true.” The company makes about 1.8 million wafers every month, eighty percent of which are focused on dram components. If 240,000 wafers are broken, that would be between one seventh and one eighth of the total monthly production. That number is therefore not correct according to the company. SK Hynix has filed a complaint with the South Korean police to find out who spread the rumor.