AIBRIEF
SanDisk, SK hynix and Micron, the chipmakers that supply memory for AI data centers, slide in a coordinated selloff as Chinese progress on DUV (deep ultraviolet lithography, the tools used to etch memory chip circuitry) meets renewed
Two pressures, one trade. Chinese progress on DUV lithography, the deep-ultraviolet tools used to etch memory-chip circuitry, and renewed doubt about AI-infrastructure spending converged Tuesday on the same AI-memory names, sending the broader semiconductor complex sliding in a coordinated premarket selloff.
SanDisk extended Monday's losses in U.S. premarket trading after SK hynix fell 7.47% on Monday and Micron Technology dropped more than 5% in premarket. SK hynix is now down nearly 47% from its June peak, erasing hundreds of billions of dollars in market value. SanDisk, down more than 45% from its June record, has broken below its 100-day moving average for the first time since August 2025. The stock remains up roughly 2,950% over the trailing 12 months: the long-term uptrend is intact, the near-term momentum is fading.
ChangXin Memory Technologies' blockbuster Shanghai IPO reignited fears of Beijing's push into memory chips, and reports of progress on Chinese DUV-lithography capability sharpened future-supply concerns. Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid, speaking to the Financial Times, said renewed AI-infrastructure-spending worry combined with the prospect of lower-cost Chinese competition drove the latest selling. Pressure spread beyond SK hynix to Samsung Electronics, Kioxia, and CXMT.
Watch next: more Chinese DUV progress, any change in AI-capex commentary, and whether the 50-day/200-day moving-average structure holds.