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Disclaimer: This report has been updated through 21 July 2026. The information is provided for reference only and does not represent any opinion, recommendation, or endorsement.
SK hynix Inc. is a South Korea-based semiconductor company with a patent portfolio spanning memory semiconductors, DRAM, NAND flash, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), CMOS image sensors, memory controllers, storage systems, semiconductor fabrication processes, and advanced packaging. Its filings cover DRAM and NAND architectures, HBM stacks, error-correction and memory-controller designs, fabrication and process technologies, image sensors, and interface and connectivity standards. The portfolio includes patents filed across multiple decades and jurisdictions covering a broad range of memory, storage, and semiconductor technologies.
SK hynix’s patent portfolio comprises 135,192 patents distributed across 91,706 simple families and 91,177 extended families. The portfolio spans 32 jurisdictions and includes patents associated with memory, storage, semiconductor fabrication, image sensors, memory controllers, and related technology fields.
SK hynix’s portfolio consists of 35,213 active assets and 99,979 inactive assets. Active holdings include 24,928 granted patents and 10,285 patent applications. Inactive assets comprise expired patents, patents expired due to term or maintenance fee non-payment, withdrawn applications, abandoned applications, and inactive applications.
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SK hynix’s patents span 32 jurisdictions, with the Republic of Korea accounting for the largest share of filings and grants.
Total Patents: 135,192
The portfolio includes patent assets across Asia, North America, and Europe, with the largest concentration located in the Republic of Korea. Additional holdings are distributed across major technology and manufacturing jurisdictions including the United States, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Germany.
SK hynix’s patent portfolio is concentrated in semiconductors, which represent the dominant technology domain, followed by mobile communications, consumer electronics, media content and distribution, and networking. Within semiconductors, the leading sub-areas include memory & storage, processors & digital logic, fabrication process, wired connectivity & serial interfaces, and application-specific ICs, reflecting the company’s focus on DRAM, NAND flash, high-bandwidth memory, and related fabrication technologies.
Top Citing Assignees (Forward Citations)
Top Cited Assignees (Backward Citations)
Top Cited Patents (Forward Citations)
Top Citing Patents (Backward Citations)
The citation data includes references involving major semiconductor and memory companies. The largest citation volumes are associated with SK hynix, Samsung, Toshiba, Micron, Renesas, Fujitsu, SanDisk, IBM, NEC, Intel, and TSMC.
Litigation Activities
SK hynix’s litigation dataset includes 219 patents that have been involved in litigation matters, 46 petitions, 33 reexaminations, and 44 Chinese Patent Reexamination Board proceedings. The dataset also includes 26 active cases, 80 inactive cases, 24 appeals, and 46 related parties.
Ownership Type
SK hynix’s patent portfolio consists of 130,216 originally assigned patents and 4,976 acquired patents. Acquired patents originate from operating companies, non-practicing entities (NPEs), universities, and other sources.
2021 / 2025 – Intel NAND and SSD business (Solidigm), ~US$9 billion total
SK hynix completed the first phase of its acquisition of Intel’s NAND and SSD business in December 2021 for approximately US$7 billion, taking over Intel’s SSD business and its NAND fabrication facility in Dalian, China, and rebranding the SSD operation as Solidigm (headquartered in San Jose, California). The second and final phase closed on 27 March 2025 with a remaining payment of approximately US$1.9 billion, transferring Intel’s remaining NAND intellectual property, R&D personnel, and associated assets and giving SK hynix full control of the business.
2018 – Toshiba Memory (Kioxia), via Bain Capital-led consortium
SK hynix participated in the Bain Capital-led consortium that acquired Toshiba’s NAND memory business, a transaction completed in June 2018 and later rebranded as Kioxia. SK hynix contributed roughly US$3.95 billion to the consortium as part of the deal.
SK hynix Inc. is a publicly traded semiconductor company listed on the Korea Exchange (000660). On 10 July 2026 it listed American Depositary Shares on the Nasdaq, raising approximately US$26.5 billion (177.9 million ADS at US$149 each), the largest-ever US listing by a foreign company.
SK hynix Inc.
2091 Gyeongchung-daero, Bubal-eup
Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
South Korea
SK hynix’s global headquarters are located in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
Headquarters
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
Torshamnsgatan 21, Kista
164 83 Stockholm
Sweden
Ericsson’s global headquarters are located in Kista, Stockholm, Sweden. The company has announced plans to relocate its Stockholm operations to the Hagastaden district from 2028.
SK hynix’s patent portfolio includes 135,192 patents across 32 jurisdictions. The portfolio contains patent assets in memory semiconductors, DRAM, NAND flash, high-bandwidth memory, memory controllers, semiconductor fabrication, image sensors, and related storage and connectivity technologies.
The portfolio includes 91,706 simple families, 91,177 extended families, 17 litigated patents, and 0 challenged patents.
SK hynix’s patent portfolio contains 135,192 patents across 32 jurisdictions. The portfolio includes 91,706 simple families and 91,177 extended families.
Semiconductors represent by far the largest domain, with memory & storage, processors & digital logic, and fabrication process among the leading sub-areas, followed by mobile communications, consumer electronics, media content and distribution, and networking.
SK hynix’s portfolio includes 35,213 active patent assets, consisting of 24,928 active grants and 10,285 active applications.
The Republic of Korea contains the largest number of SK hynix patent assets, followed by the United States, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Germany.
The litigation dataset includes 219 patents in litigation, 46 petitions, 33 reexaminations, and 44 Chinese PRB proceedings.
The portfolio contains 130,216 originally assigned patents and 4,976 acquired patents.
The citation data includes significant references involving Samsung, Toshiba, Micron, Renesas, Fujitsu, SanDisk, IBM, NEC, Intel, and TSMC.
Recent transactions include the acquisition of Intel’s NAND and SSD business (Solidigm), completed in phases through March 2025, and its earlier participation in the Bain Capital-led acquisition of Toshiba’s NAND memory business (Kioxia).
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