SK Hynix's latest 176-layer 512 GB Triple-Level Cell (TLC) 4D NAND flash memory. The reported bids to buy Japanese chipmaker Kioxia Holdings Corp. by Micron Technology Inc. and Western Digital Corp. is raising market chatter over the fate of the Kioxia stake held by South Korea’s SK Hynix Inc. According to the investment banking industry on Apr. 2, SK Hynix doesn’t have any right to buy additional Kioxia shares ahead of other bidders if the Japanese company is up for sale, which means SK Hynix’s invested firm may end up in the hands of its competitors. Back in 2018, SK Hynix, the semiconductor arm of SK Group, invested about 4 trillion won ($3.55 billion) in the Japanese chipmaker through a consortium led by US private equity firm Bain Capital. Of the investment, 1.3 trillion won was used to buy convertible bonds worth a 15% stake in Kioxia.