SK hynix Inc. (or “the company”, www.skhynix.com) announced today it has signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms with the U.S. Department of Commerce to receive up to $450 million in proposed direct funding and access to proposed loans of $500 million as part of the CHIPS and Science Act for its investment to build a production base for semiconductor packaging in Indiana. Separately, SK hynix plans to seek from the U.S. Department of the Treasury a tax benefit equivalent of up to 25% of the qualified capital expenditures through the Investment Tax Credit program.

SK hynix said it deeply appreciates the U.S. government’s support and will comply with the requirements for the remaining procedures until the proposed funding is finalized.

The company also said that it will proceed with the construction of the Indiana production base as planned to meet the plan to provide AI memory products. Through this, it looks forward to contributing to build a more resilient supply chain of the global semiconductor industry.

The signing follows SK hynix’s announcement in April that it plans to invest $3.87 billion to build a production base for advanced packaging in Indiana in a move expected to create around 1,000 jobs. The company also said that it would collaborate with local research institutions, including Purdue University for research and development of semiconductors.

“We deeply appreciate the U.S. Department of Commerce’s support and are excited to collaborate in seeing this transformational project fully realized,” said SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung. “We are moving forward with the construction of the Indiana production base, working with the State of Indiana, Purdue University and our U.S. business partners to ultimately supply leading-edge AI memory products from West Lafayette. We look forward to establishing a new hub for AI technology, creating skilled jobs for Indiana and helping build a more robust, resilient supply chain for the global semiconductor industry.”

About SK hynix Inc.

SK hynix Inc., headquartered in Korea, is the world’s top tier semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips (“DRAM”), flash memory chips (“NAND flash”) and CMOS Image Sensors (“CIS”) for a wide range of distinguished customers globally. The Company’s shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, and the Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Further information about SK hynix is available at www.skhynix.com, news.skhynix.com.

Media Contact

SK hynix Inc.
Global Public Relations

Technical Leader
Kanga Kong
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

Technical Leader
Sooyeon Lee
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

The post SK hynix Signs Preliminary Memorandum of Terms with U.S. Department of Commerce for Advanced Packaging Facility in Indiana first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

¹HBM: A high-value, high-performance product that revolutionizes data processing speeds by connecting multiple DRAM chips with through-silicon via (TSV).

Since developing the world’s first HBM in 2013, SK hynix has led the way in developing the next generations of the technology. In March 2024, the company became the first to mass-produce and supply HBM3E, the fifth generation of HBM which offers the industry’s highest levels of performance.

SK hynix’s leadership in this area is due to its extensive history of preparing key packaging technologies such as TSV and MR-MUF². To find out more, the SK hynix Newsroom caught up with Gyujei Lee, head of Package Product Development, to discuss the company’s technological innovations in packaging for AI memory.

²Mass Reflow-Molded Underfill (MR-MUF): A process involving injecting a liquid protective material between stacked chips, which is then hardened. Compared to the traditional method of placing film-like materials between each layer, MR-MUF is a more efficient process and more effective at heat dissipation.

Lee cites the importance of SK hynix’s innovative packaging technologies for HBM’s success

Foundation for HBM Leadership: Bold Investment in Packaging Technology and R&D

SK hynix’s core HBM packaging technologies

SK hynix applied TSV technology to the first generation of HBM, which was developed by the company as a world-first in 2013. A key technology that enables the rapid speed of HBM products, TSV involves drilling thousands of microscopic holes in a DRAM chip to connect the electrodes that vertically penetrate the holes of the chip’s upper and lower layers.

Although TSV has been touted as a next-generation technology to overcome the performance limitations of conventional memory for more than 20 years, it did not immediately emerge as a commercialized technology. The challenges of building the technical infrastructure and the uncertainty of recouping the investment prevented companies from taking the plunge. Lee described the situation as “like a bunch of kids around a big lake, waiting to see who would jump in first.”

“SK hynix was also one of the companies to hesitate in the beginning,” he recalled. “However, to prepare for the future market, we decided to secure both TSV technology, which can simultaneously enable top performance and high capacity, and WLP³ technology, which includes stacking. Therefore, we took the initiative and began active research from the early 2000s.”

³Wafer-level package (WLP): Technology that produces end products by packaging and testing a wafer all at once before the wafer is diced. It differs from the conventional packaging method of processing a wafer and dicing each chip.

As the market for high-performance graphics processing unit (GPU) computing grew in the 2010s, there was a rising need for high-bandwidth near-memory⁴ to support it. To meet this demand, SK hynix began developing a new product combining TSV and WLP technologies, ultimately leading to the creation of the first HBM. This new product was more than four times faster than GDDR5, the fastest graphics DRAM product at the time, while consuming 40% less power. Moreover, the first HBM dramatically reduced the product area through chip stacking.

⁴Near-memory: Memory that is close to the computing device (processor), allowing for faster data processing.

From MR-MUF to Advanced MR-MUF: Driving HBM Success

Although SK hynix was the first to usher in the HBM era, the company did not take the lead in the growing market until it developed the third generation of HBM, HBM2E, in 2019. This marked a turning point for the company as it was considered to have gained a clear industry advantage. However, Lee recalls the various bumps in the road to this achievement.

Lee revealed how MR-MUF was a crucial breakthrough for the company’s HBM lineup

“We succeeded in developing the first HBM, but then we needed to raise the quality and mass production capability to a level that would satisfy the market and our customers,” he said. “This led us to develop a new packaging technology that was expected to be better than the existing one in terms of stability in material application and ease of technical implementation. But unexpectedly, we encountered reliability difficulties in the early stages and had to find a new breakthrough.

“At that time, the company was also developing MR-MUF technology according to its technology roadmap. To respond promptly to customers, leaders from the relevant departments quickly analyzed technology-related data and simulation results to verify the reliability of MR-MUF, and convinced management and customers. So, the technology was able to be applied to HBM2E in a timely manner.”

Lee cites the development of MR-MUF as a key turning point for SK hynix’s HBM success story

“Thanks to the management and customers who believed in our development team, we were able to successfully bring our unique MR-MUF technology to the market,” said Lee. “This has enabled the mass production and supply of HBM2E, which offers stable levels of quality and performance.”

Due to the application of MR-MUF, HBM2E became a game-changer in the HBM market. It is therefore clear that MR-MUF played a key role in making SK hynix’s “HBM success story” possible.

Lee explains the MR-MUF technology roadmap

In 2023, SK hynix maintained its unrivaled leadership in HBM by first developing the 12-layer HBM3, followed by the development of HBM3E, the fifth generation of HBM. Lee and the development team believe these successes were largely due to the development of Advanced MR-MUF⁵, an improved version of the existing MR-MUF technology.

⁵Advanced Mass Reflow-Molded Underfill (MR-MUF): Next-generation MR-MUF technology with warpage control that can stack chips 40% thinner than previous generations of HBM products without warpage, as well as new protective materials for improved heat dissipation.

“The 12-layer HBM3 required enhanced heat dissipation performance due to the increased number of stacked chips,” he said. “In particular, it was not easy to handle the warpage issue of the thinner chips in the 12-layer HBM3 with the existing MR-MUF method.

“To overcome these limitations, we developed an Advanced MR-MUF technology that improves on the existing MR-MUF. This also led to the successful development and mass production of the world’s first 12-layer HBM3 in 2023, followed by the mass production of the world’s highest-performing HBM3E in March 2024. Moreover, Advanced MR-MUF is applied to the 12-layer HBM3E, which will be supplied to major AI companies from the second half of this year. Going forward, Advanced MR-MUF will be applied to a wider range of applications, further solidifying SK hynix’s leadership in HBM technology.

“Recently, there was a rumor in the industry that MR-MUF is difficult to implement. To overcome this, we focused on communicating to customers that MR-MUF is the optimal technology for high stacking, and eventually reaffirmed customers’ trust.”

Next-Gen Tech & Customer Partnerships Key to Custom Product Development

Lee won SK Group’s 2024 SUPEX Award for his contribution to developing HBM

For his longstanding contributions to HBM development, Lee was awarded SK Group’s highest honor, the 2024 SUPEX Award⁶, in June 2024 along with SK hynix’s core HBM technical members. Commenting on receiving the award, Lee said: “It is thanks to the efforts of many members who have worked as one team to make the product a success.”

⁶SUPEX Award: As the most prestigious award within SK Group that carries the meaning “super excellent,” it recognizes members who have successfully realized innovations by not being afraid to take on new challenges.

However, Lee said there is no room for satisfaction or complacency. For SK hynix to maintain its HBM leadership in the future, he emphasized the importance of timely development of various next-generation packaging technologies to meet the ever-increasing demand for customized products.

“Next-generation packaging technologies such as hybrid bonding⁷ have recently gained attention as a way to stack chips higher for increased performance and capacity while maintaining product thickness according to standard specifications,” he stated. “Although heat control is still a challenge due to the narrower gap between the chips, these new packaging technologies are expected to solve the issue and meet the increasingly diverse performance needs of customers.

⁷Hybrid Bonding: A technology that connects chips together directly without bumps between them. This reduces the overall thickness of the chip, enabling high-layer stacking, and is therefore being considered for HBM products with 16 layers or more. SK hynix is currently reviewing both Advanced MR-MUF and hybrid bonding technologies.

“SK hynix will continue to enhance its existing Advanced MR-MUF with excellent heat dissipation performance, while also securing new technologies.”

Lee claimed that strong customer communication will continue to be crucial for the company’s growth

Lastly, Lee emphasized that close communication and collaboration with customers is one of SK hynix’s strengths and a competitive advantage that the company should continue to strengthen in the future.

“I think the biggest driving force behind SK hynix’s dominance in the HBM market is its ability to promptly deliver high-quality products with mass production competitiveness to customers when there was actual demand,” he said. “This has been possible not only because of our technological capabilities, but also due to our continuous communication with customers.

“Our packaging development department is also quick to identify customer and stakeholder needs and incorporate them into product features. When this effort is combined with our unique culture of collaboration, I think we’ll be a powerful force in any situation. I will continue to share my motto, ‘feel together, move vigilantly’ with our employees as we prepare for the future of SK hynix packaging.”

The post SK hynix VP Gyujei Lee Targets Continued HBM Success With Next-Gen Packaging Technology first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

The SK hynix Newsroom is running a series of interviews with the Top Team—the executives in charge of the company’s major business divisions. This series provides insights into the business strategies, organizational culture, and more promoted by the leaders to achieve the company’s vision. For this latest interview, the newsroom spoke with Vice President and Head of Package & Test (P&T) Woojin Choi.

For the past 30 years, Woojin Choi has conducted and led R&D in semiconductor memory packaging. During that time, packaging has become increasingly important and is now a pivotal technology for in-demand AI memory solutions such as HBM¹.

¹High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value, high-performance product that revolutionizes data processing speeds by connecting multiple DRAM chips with through-silicon via (TSV).

As the technology environment has evolved, packaging has become a game-changer in the AI memory market. Amidst this backdrop, Choi, who was appointed as head of SK hynix’s Package & Test (P&T) at the end of 2023, is determined to prove the company’s technological edge. In this latest Top Team Insights interview, the newsroom spoke with Choi about the importance of packaging technologies in the AI era, taking on new challenges, and his mission to go “beyond HBM”.

Leading the AI Memory Market through Limitless Challenges

After wafers undergo the semiconductor front-end process in fabs, P&T oversees the back-end process where wafers are packaged into products and tested to ensure they meet customer expectations.

While packaging traditionally held the role of electrically connecting chips and protecting them from external shocks, it is now vital to enabling differentiated product performances. Consequently, advanced packaging technologies such as TSV² and MR-MUF³ have grown in importance as they have proven to be critical in the development of key products including HBM.

²Through-silicon via (TSV): A technology that drills microscopic holes in DRAM chips to vertically connect silicon dies through electrodes.
³Mass Reflow-Molded Underfill (MR-MUF): Mass reflow is a technology that connects chips together by melting the bumps between stacked chips. Molded underfill fills the gaps between stacked chips with protective material to increase durability and heat dissipation.

Choi believes that facing new challenges will enable a company to become an industry leader in the AI era

“P&T technology is turning into a crucial factor in the battle for semiconductor leadership,” Choi claimed. “As demand for high-performance chips is exploding in the AI era, we will contribute to the development of the highest-performance memory products through advanced packaging technologies.

Choi emphasizes to his employees the importance of setting no limits to challenges. “The way we have aggressively taken on tough challenges has lifted the Korean semiconductor industry to where it is today,” he said. “At a time when countries around the world are investing huge amounts of capital to secure leadership in the semiconductor market, it has become even more vital to continuously embrace new challenges.”

According to Choi, the global semiconductor race has even been likened to a war due to its intense environment. “If continuous innovations and efforts to overcome challenges cease, it could be disastrous for a company,” he said. “It is more crucial than ever to push the limits in all areas of product development including performance, yield, and cost competitiveness.”

Choi says that advanced packaging technologies are key to developing next-generation signature memories

As AI memory is a key pillar in the global semiconductor race, Choi presented the development of signature memories as a key strategy to revolutionize this technology.

“In the age of AI, SK hynix is focusing on signature memories which possess diverse aspects required by customers, including various capabilities, sizes, shapes and power efficiency,” Choi explained. “To realize these products, we are advancing technologies such as TSV and MR-MUF which play a key role in HBM performance. Moreover, we are developing various next-generation packaging technologies including chiplet⁴ and hybrid bonding⁵. These innovations will contribute to the development of new types of semiconductors while supporting heterogeneous integrations such as between semiconductor memory and logic chips.”

⁴Chiplet: A technology that breaks up chips into functions and connects these separated pieces called chiplets on a single substrate to enable heterogeneous bonding and integration.
⁵Hybrid Bonding: A technology that connects chips together directly without bumps to enable higher bandwidth and capacity. This allows for shorter data pathways and the ability to stack more chips in the same space.

Choi stresses that his department will not limit themselves when taking on challenges and will demonstrate their strong technological advantage.

The Next Innovation and Challenge: Building a Global Manufacturing Base

Choi’s emphasis on challenges makes sense when looking at his career. In 2020, he succeeded in developing a heat dissipation solution for HBM3 to improve the product’s performance. He also helped tackle the industry downturn in 2023 by reducing costs in areas including materials and general expenses. Additionally, he quickly secured a production line to meet the growing demand for DRAMs during the rapid rise of ChatGPT, helping SK hynix strengthen its leadership in AI memory.

“It was challenging to respond immediately to the sudden surging demand for AI memory in 2023, but we quickly utilized our TSV packaging line with no additional investments to ramp up the production of our server-oriented 3D stacked memory (3DS)⁶ modules based on DDR5 DRAM,” Choi recalled. “This is an example of a bold decision made in a short period of time. We would not have been able to accomplish this feat if we had hesitated.”

⁶3D Stacked Memory (3DS): A high-bandwidth memory product that is packaged by connecting two or more DRAM chips through TSV. 3DS and HBM differ in that the latter is supplied to the system company before packaging is completed, and it is then packaged with logic chips such as GPUs.

Choi has an instrumental role in the planning of SK hynix’s new manufacturing facility in Indiana

Now, Choi’s challenge awaits overseas. On April 3, SK hynix announced plans to establish a packaging manufacturing facility in the U.S. state of Indiana to enhance its competitiveness in the global HBM market while also enhancing its R&D capabilities in advanced packaging.

Choi is playing a key role in this process by planning the strategy for the construction and operations of the fab. The U.S. packaging plant will receive HBM wafers that have undergone the front-end process from the Korean HQ to produce finished products and, at the same time, actively cooperate in R&D with global companies.

“We are currently in the process of refining the fab design and mass production system, as well as preparing to build an R&D cooperation ecosystem with global companies,” Choi explained. “Once the factory is fully operational, we expect it to make a significant contribution to strengthening the company’s AI memory technology and business leadership.”

Going “Beyond HBM”: Data-Centric Innovations and Focus on Employee Development

As for the important missions of P&T, Choi mentioned maximizing profitability and what he calls going “beyond HBM.” “In the short term, we plan to strengthen our domestic production capabilities to meet demand for HBM while leveraging our global base to maximize profitability,” he said. “In the long run, we aim to secure more innovative packaging technologies like MR-MUF, which is now a vital technology to HBM.”

To accomplish this, Choi highlights the significance of finding answers in the data, a philosophy he has followed throughout his decades of experience in the packaging field.

“As there is a tremendous amount of data during the P&T process, the saying that the ‘answer is in the data’ proves to be true,” Choi said. “If we utilize this data well, we can improve yields and even find clues for new product development. We need to work with the idea that data can guide us to growth.”

To go “beyond HBM,” Choi emphasizes utilizing data for growth and focusing on membership development

Lastly, Choi underlined his commitment to supporting the growth of SK hynix employees. “It is our members who have raised the profile of packaging technology,” he said. “Many of the breakthroughs we have made, such as solving the heat dissipation issue of HBM at the packaging stage, have come from their ideas.” Accordingly, Choi plans to lay the foundation for continued growth so employees can always take on challenges with the mindset of leading the global market.

“Our company is actively interacting with universities and research institutes at home and abroad,” he added. “We plan to capitalize on this to help P&T members gain diverse global experiences and further improve their R&D capabilities to aid their growth and development.”

The post Top Team Insights: “Embrace Limitless Challenges to Strengthen Advanced Packaging Tech,” Motto of P&T Head Woojin Choi first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

• To build advanced packaging facility for next-generation HBM, while collaborating with Purdue University for R&D
• Selects Indiana for strong support provided by the state and local government, infrastructure for manufacturing, and talent at Purdue
• Industry’s first investment in advanced packaging for AI products on American soil, strengthens supply-chain resilience

West Lafayette, Indiana, April 3, 2024

SK hynix Inc. (or “the company”, www.skhynix.com), the world’s leading producer of High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM)¹ chips, announced today that it will invest an estimated $3.87 billion in West Lafayette, Indiana to build an advanced packaging fabrication and R&D facility for AI products. The project, the first of its kind in the United States, is expected to drive innovation in the nation’s AI supply chain, while bringing more than a thousand new jobs to the region.

¹HBM (High Bandwidth Memory): A high-value, high-performance memory that vertically interconnects multiple DRAM chips and dramatically increases data processing speed in comparison with conventional DRAM products. HBM4 is the sixth generation of its kind, following HBM, HBM2, HBM2E, HBM3 and HBM3E.

The company held an investment agreement ceremony with officials from Indiana State, Purdue University, and the U.S. government at Purdue University in West Lafayette on the 3^rd and officially announced the plan.

At the event, officials from each party including Governor of Indiana Eric Holcomb, Senator Todd Young, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar, Assistant Secretary of Commerce Arun Venkataraman, Secretary of Commerce State of Indiana David Rosenberg, Purdue University President Mung Chiang, Chairman of Purdue Research Foundation Mitch Daniels, Mayor of city of West Lafayette Erin Easter, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States Hyundong Cho, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Chicago Junghan Kim, SK vice chairman Jeong Joon Yu, SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung and SK hynix Head of Package & Test Choi Woojin, participated.

Leveraging its dominant position in the HBM market, SK hynix’s new facility will be home to an advanced semiconductor production line that will mass-produce next-generation HBM, the highest-performing Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) chips, which are the critical components of graphic processing units that train AI systems such as ChatGPT.

The company plans to begin mass production in the second half of 2028, while the new facility will also develop future generations of chips and house an advanced packaging R&D line. The site was selected due to Indiana’s resilient manufacturing infrastructure and R&D ecosystem, expert intellectuals in the semiconductor field and the talent pipeline at Purdue University, and the strong support provided by the state and local government.

Innovation in memory chips continues to drive lower-power operations and performance enhancements in computing. As tech shrinkage and other hardware improvements have hit limits, SK hynix’s new chiplet packaging technology has emerged as a promising way to continue enhancing density and performance. As this heterogeneous integration technology becomes more and more important to the future of the semiconductor industry, the company’s new initiative in Indiana will help establish the region as a Silicon Heartland: a new semiconductor cluster centered in the Midwest Triangle that will become a magnet for next-generation computing in the AI era.

“Indiana is a global leader in innovating and producing the products that will power our future economy, and today’s news is proof positive to that fact,” said Governor Eric Holcomb. “I’m so proud to officially welcome SK hynix to Indiana, and we’re confident this new partnership will enhance the Lafayette-West Lafayette region, Purdue University and the state of Indiana for the long term. This new semiconductor innovation and packaging plant not only reaffirms the state’s role in the hard tech sector, but is also another tremendous step forward in advancing U.S. innovation and national security, putting Hoosiers at the forefront of national and global advancements.”

U.S. Senator Todd Young, a key advocate for the project, said, “SK hynix will soon be a household name in Indiana. This incredible investment demonstrates their confidence in Hoosier workers, and I’m excited to welcome them to our state.” Adding, “The CHIPS and Science Act opened a door that Indiana has been able to sprint through, and companies like SK hynix are helping to build our high-tech future.”

“SK hynix is the global pioneer and dominant market leader in memory chips for AI,” Purdue University President Mung Chiang said. “This transformational investment reflects our state and university’s tremendous strength in semiconductors, hardware AI, and hard tech corridor. It is also a monumental moment for completing the supply chain of digital economy in our country through chips advanced packaging. Located at Purdue Research Park, the largest facility of its kind at a U.S. university will grow and succeed through innovation.”

“We are excited to become the first in the industry to build a state-of-the-art advanced packaging facility for AI products in the United States that will help strengthen supply-chain resilience and develop a local semiconductor ecosystem,” said SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung. “With this new facility, we hope to advance our goal of providing AI memory chips with unmatched capabilities, serving the needs of our customers.”

“We are grateful for the support from the Government of Indiana, Purdue University, and the broader community involved, and we look forward to expanding our partnership in the long run.”

As a technology leader, integrator, and enabler in memory solutions, SK hynix is collaborating with Purdue University, one of the leading research institutions in the U.S., on plans for future R&D projects. These projects include work on advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration with Purdue’s Birck Nanotechnology Center and other research institutes and industry partners. They also hope to collaborate on a project related to memory-centric solutions and architecture for the generative AI era, specifically system-level memory design and in/near-memory computing.

The company also plans to collaborate with Purdue University and Ivy Tech Community College to develop training programs and interdisciplinary degree curricula that will cultivate a high-tech workforce and build a reliable pipeline of new talent.

Meanwhile, SK hynix plans to support the work of Purdue Research Foundation and other local non-profits and charities by building partnerships that provide community development, growth opportunities, and leadership training.

Separately, SK hynix will also proceed with Korean domestic investments as planned. The company has been working to prepare the site for the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster where it will invest 120 trillion won to build production facilities. The company plans to break ground on the first fab in March of 2025, with plans for completion in early 2027. It will also build a mini fab, a facility with equipment for 300mm wafer processing, to test semiconductor materials, components and equipment.

About SK hynix Inc.

SK hynix Inc., headquartered in Korea, is the world’s top tier semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips (“DRAM”), flash memory chips (“NAND flash”) and CMOS Image Sensors (“CIS”) for a wide range of distinguished customers globally. The Company’s shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, and the Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Further information about SK hynix is available at www.skhynix.com, news.skhynix.com.

Media Contact

SK hynix Inc.
Global Public Relations

Technical Leader
Kanga Kong
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

Technical Leader
Sooyeon Lee
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

The post SK hynix Signs Investment Agreement of Advanced Chip Packaging with Indiana first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

SK hynix has ramped up preparations for its evolution in the AI era with a new addition to its executive team. Hoyoung Son became the head of Advanced Package Development at the start of 2024 to strengthen the company’s leadership in packaging technology for HBM¹, a key semiconductor for AI.

¹High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value, high-performance product that revolutionizes data processing speeds over conventional DRAMs by vertically connecting multiple DRAMs with through-silicon via (TSV) technology. There are five generations of HBM, starting with the original HBM and followed by HBM2, HBM2E, HBM3, and HBM3E—an extended version of HBM3.

In 2023, Son received the distinguished Haedong Young Engineer Award² for his contributions to the development of advanced packaging³ technology, which is also a key element for HBM products. In the fourth article of this interview series with recently appointed executives, Son spoke about his plans for the future and how he will adapt to such a big role in the AI era.

²Haedong Young Engineer Award: A prize presented at the annual Haedong Awards. Hosted by the Haedong Science and Culture Foundation, the awards recognize those who have made significant contributions to promote the growth and expansion of electronic engineering in South Korea.
³Advanced packaging: A solution that emerged to meet market requirements for high-performance products by resolving issues related to limits on wafer density technology.

“It was a special moment to become the first team leader to win the Haedong Young Engineer Award in 2023, which is usually awarded to executives,” he said. “This year, I have a greater sense of responsibility now that I am an executive. I will do my utmost to accomplish my goals in this new position.”

An Unwavering Spirit Sparking a Revolution in AI Semiconductor Memory

Son has been instrumental in the development of HBM, which has garnered significant attention in the semiconductor industry. He helped solidify the company’s leadership in AI memory technology by leading the development of TSV⁴, the core technology of HBM, as well as SK hynix’s proprietary MR-MUF⁵ from the early stages of their introduction.

⁴Through Silicon Via (TSV): A technology that drills thousands of microscopic holes in a DRAM chip and vertically connects silicon dies through electrodes.
⁵Mass Reflow-Molded Underfill (MR-MUF): The process of placing a liquid protective material between stacked chips while simultaneously hardening the chips and the surrounding circuitry. MR-MUF is considered to be more efficient than laying down a film-like material after each chip is stacked, and has exceptional heat dissipation capabilities.

Son claims his team’s perseverance will realize more breakthroughs in AI memory

“Personally, I believe the most meaningful achievement was developing the first generation of HBM in 2013, which felt like going from zero to one,” he recalled. “Countless trials and risks couldn’t stop our efforts as we used these setbacks as lessons to come up with stronger solutions. Subsequently, we successfully developed the current fifth generation of HBM, HBM3E, and advanced packaging technology.”

Son thinks that the same unwavering spirit is needed in the AI era. As unforeseen challenges await in the future, it will be important to overcome them to achieve innovations.

“Just as SK hynix never gave up on developing HBM because we believed in its value, I will continue to develop the next generation of AI memory that will lead the rapidly changing AI era,” he added.

Evolving Into a Total AI Memory Provider

Son also thinks that SK hynix’s role in the AI age is gradually changing. He believes that the company should evolve from its current position as a supplier of semiconductors to become a total AI memory provider.

Son stresses the need to develop diverse AI memory products for AI technology

“When we developed our advanced packaging technology in 2023, one division was responsible for integrating it with existing process technology. Although this approach can reduce trial and error in the early stages of development, it has flaws in terms of efficiency and expertise as the technology becomes more sophisticated and diverse,” he said. “Developing customer-specific AI memory requires a new approach as the flexibility and scalability of the technology becomes critical.”

Son stressed that as AI technology is being utilized in more areas, the hardware required to implement these technologies is also advancing in various ways. “To proactively respond to these changes, we plan to departmentalize our current divisions and enhance their expertise,” he explained.

“For different types of AI to be realized, the characteristics of AI memory also need to be more diverse,” he stated. “Our goal is to have a range of advanced packaging technologies to respond to the shifting technological landscape. Looking ahead, we plan to provide differentiated solutions to meet all customer needs.”

Building Solid Foundations for the Next Generation to Grow

As for his aspirations as a new executive, Son wants to create an environment for growth and development. More specifically, he wants the next generation of workers to have the opportunity to be creative, and emphasized the importance of working autonomously and extending their reach by having various exchanges with academic and industry experts.

“On top of securing immediate results, possessing a technological edge will be more important in the long run,” he explained. “When I was first developing TSV technology and HBM, working in an open environment that allowed me to communicate with academics and other experts was a huge asset to me.”

Son hopes to create the same work culture in his new division. “Although our current members are already highly qualified, I want to help them experience interactions with various external experts so they can become world-class engineers,” he said. “Most importantly, I want to create an environment and culture where people can work as they wish and grow together.”

Son underlines the importance of creating a work environment that encourages growth and happiness

Concluding the interview, Son emphasized that employee happiness is paramount.

“I think happiness starts with understanding the value of life and contemplating ways to grow,” he said. “We have accomplished a lot so far, but if we stay on course to continue achieving more and strive to be better by self-examining ourselves, I think we can be very content. It is my hope that our members will be happier this year.”

<Other articles from this series>

New Leadership Spotlight: SK hynix’s First Female Research Fellow, Vice President Oh Haesoon, on Advancing NAND Flash

New Leadership Spotlight: SK hynix’s Youngest Exec, Lee Donghun, Discusses Spearheading NAND Flash Development

New Leadership Spotlight: Vice President Kitae Kim, Head of HBM Sales & Marketing, on Future-Proofing HBM’s Market Leadership

Leadership Spotlight: Deoksin Kil, Head of Material Development, On Achieving Tech Innovation Through Advanced Materials

New Leadership Spotlight: Head of HBM PI Unoh Kwon Aims to Finish SK hynix’s HBM Roadmap & Lead in the AI Era

New Leadership Spotlight: Global RTC Head Jaeyun Yi Aims to Present a New Paradigm for the Future of Semiconductors

New Leadership Spotlight: SK hynix Execs Join Roundtable to Discuss Company’s AI Memory Leadership & Future Market Trends

The post New Leadership Spotlight: Vice President Hoyoung Son Targets SK hynix’s Evolution Into Total AI Memory Provider Through Advanced Packaging Tech first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.