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Solidigm Layoffs: What Happened During the 2023 NAND Downturn

Solidigm’s 2023 workforce reductions included about 98 reported headquarters layoffs and closure of its South Korean office. Later cuts were reported, but no definitive global total is established.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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Solidigm’s reported layoffs happened in 2023, not as a newly announced 2026 workforce cut. In July 2023, the company reportedly eliminated about 98 jobs at its Rancho Cordova, California, headquarters—roughly 10% of that headquarters workforce—and closed its small South Korean office. SK hynix linked the changes to weak NAND flash-market conditions and efforts to improve operating efficiency. Additional U.S. cuts were reported later that year, but the available reporting does not establish a definitive total.

What Solidigm is—and how it relates to SK hynix

Solidigm is a U.S.-based subsidiary of SK hynix, formed from Intel’s former NAND flash and solid-state drive (SSD) business. It focuses on data-storage products, including enterprise SSDs. It is not currently an Intel division. Solidigm’s company FAQ describes its origins, while its company overview outlines its current business.

What happened in the 2023 layoffs?

July: headquarters cuts and a South Korean office closure

Korean business outlets reported that Solidigm cut approximately 98 employees at its Rancho Cordova headquarters in July 2023. The reported figure represented about 10% of headquarters staff—not necessarily 10% of Solidigm’s employees worldwide. The specific headcount and percentage came from press reporting; the available sources do not provide an accessible Solidigm announcement confirming those figures. Asia Business Daily and Korea JoongAng Daily reported the July cuts in September.

The company also closed its South Korean office, which was described as a small, sales-oriented branch. Reports said local employees were let go and that Solidigm products would continue to be sold in South Korea through distributors or general agencies. Newspim and Korea JoongAng Daily covered the closure and sales transition.

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October and November: further restructuring reported

eDaily reported additional U.S. headquarters layoffs on October 26, 2023, but did not establish a precise number in the available reporting. The same report said Solidigm planned to provide severance and reemployment assistance; that should be understood as a reported plan, not proof that identical benefits were offered to every departing employee.

A November report from Donga Ilbo characterized the cumulative workforce reduction as roughly 20%. That percentage is a media-reported estimate: the precise total, workforce denominator, and global scope were not established in the available sources. It should not be read as a confirmed 20% cut to Solidigm’s entire worldwide workforce.

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Why the NAND downturn put pressure on Solidigm

NAND flash is the memory technology used in SSDs. In 2023, the market was weighed down by excess inventory, weak demand and pricing, and a slower recovery than DRAM. Those conditions pressured manufacturers’ sales and profitability and encouraged production cuts and tighter cost control.

SK hynix attributed the July changes to worsening NAND conditions and operational-efficiency efforts. Contemporary coverage also described the company’s push to reduce overlapping costs between its NAND business and Solidigm. The reported 53.6% year-over-year decline in first-half sales applied to the relevant SK hynix U.S. NAND entity, which included Solidigm; it is not a standalone Solidigm revenue figure. Asia Business Daily’s coverage of the workforce changes reported the sales comparison, while its SK hynix earnings coverage discussed NAND production cuts and cost measures.

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The evidence supports a connection between the weak NAND market and cost reductions, but it does not establish that market conditions alone explain every individual job decision. Nor do the reports support claims that the cuts were caused solely by AI, acquisition costs, or SK hynix’s broader financial performance.

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Did the layoffs mean Solidigm was shutting down or leaving SSDs?

No. The 2023 reports describe workforce reductions, office consolidation, and cost control—not a shutdown or withdrawal from enterprise SSDs. Solidigm’s current materials continue to describe its storage business. In April 2026, the company announced further investment in research and development in the Rancho Cordova area. That later announcement provides current context; it does not change what was reported about the 2023 cuts. See Solidigm’s April 2026 announcement and its company overview.

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Solidigm’s FAQ and careers page describe a company with more than 2,000 team members across more than a dozen locations, as stated in company materials available in 2026. Those current figures should not be used to infer the exact scale or geographic distribution of the 2023 layoffs. Solidigm FAQ · Solidigm careers

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