Chinese memory makers step up challenge to Korea’s chip champions

This article was first published by The Korea Times in a partnership with the China-morning-post" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="12558" data-entity-type="organization">South China Morning Post.Two of China’s leading memory-chip makers are moving closer to public listings, posing a significant long-term challenge to South Korean giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, despite a limited immediate threat, according to analysts.ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), China’s leading dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) producer, won approval last week for its nearly 30-billion-yuan (US$4.4 billion) initial public offering (IPO) in Shanghai, while NAND flash champion Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC) has begun IPO preparations and could formally submit a listing application as early as June, with proceeds directed at equipment and research and development.