Samsung has applied to build a new flash memory chip plant in China, likely to cost around $4bn.

The Korean firm informed the country’s exchange today that it was seeking approval for a NAND plant. NAND is a type of flash memory mostly used for smartphones and tablets.

Samsung is hoping the new plant will be operational by 2013.

“[The factory] will enable us to meet fast growing demand from our customers and at the same time strengthen our overall competitiveness in the memory industry,” Jun Dong-Soo, president of Samsung’s memory business, said, according to Reuters.

Samsung is throwing a lot of investment into its chip business, particularly those for mobile devices, as the market for smartphones and tablest continues to grow.

Last month, the company said it would plough around $34bn into its business next year, with a focus on screens and chips for mobiles, cameras and fondleslabs.

As well as chips for its own line-up of phones and tablets, Samsung also supplies chips to Apple, one of its major rivals in the smartphone and tab market.

Samsung is the world’s biggest NAND flash memory maker, holding around 40 per cent of the market. ®