South Korean chipmaker SK hynix is set to join the second bidding to take over the memory division of Japanese tech giant Toshiba, industry sources said Friday.

According to the sources, SK hynix has conducted a study on the acquisition under request from Toshiba. The South Korean company is expected to suggest a price higher than the 2 trillion Japanese yen ($18 billion) proposed during the first bidding.

Shortly after the first bidding, SK Group’s head Chey Tae-won said its initial proposed price was not significant.

(Yonhap)

Other major tech firms, such as Taiwan-based Hon Hai, better known as Foxconn, and US-based Broadcom are also expected to join the bidding.

Western Digital, which has been maintaining closes ties with Toshiba, however, is presumed to have been excluded in the second bidding.

The US company earlier filed a request for an arbitration to an international court, demanding exclusive negotiation rights.

Industry watchers said Western Digital’s move led to the delay in Toshiba’s selling of its memory chip business.

Toshiba has put its memory operations up for sale, as it struggles with losses from its nuclear power business in the United States. The Japanese firm must conclude the deal by March 2018 to repay the debt.

Even if the deal is reached on time, the entire negotiation may be scrapped if the International Chamber of Commerce accepts Western Digital’s request. (Yonhap)