At SK hynix, we must acutely understand these technologies as we work with partners to bring these next-generation technologies to life. In this article, we look at some of the top industry statements around technologies including 5G, big data, and autonomous vehicles, and set the record straight.

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1. Artificial Intelligence can teach itself to walk, talk, see, and be conscious of its own existence.

MYTH. It is one of the most popular plots in science fiction movies and shows, but the truth is AI requires significant amounts of human knowledge and engineering to be able to perform the tasks that benefit our daily lives. While with advanced engineering and human supervision AI systems have learned to do things like walk, talk, and see but there are no current facts that would suggest these systems will be conscious of their own existence. We are safe from any robot revolution…for now.

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2. Virtual reality will be at the forefront of how we work and play.

FACT. One of the most talked-about technologies for the past decade has been virtual reality. Many believe that the technology appears to be more of a trend, but analysts still predict increased growth year over year. In fact, forecasts project massive growth in both AR and VR headset sales in the coming years, with both technologies combined expected to sell over 26 million units per year by 2023.¹

With increased interest in virtual reality with adventure, action, and simulation games, the market is projected to grow to more than 16 billion by 2022.² Virtual reality is also seeing increased use in the workplace with its use in virtual enhanced conference calls that can transport you around the world.

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3. 5G will close the digital divide and instantly connect rural areas around the world.

MYTH. While 5G is continuing to be rolled out across the world, it will not solve our problems overnight. Many of us may already be seeing 5G hit our smartphones but the fact is there are many countries and even areas in the U.S. see unreliable internet access and mobile data. It could be that until 5G becomes more widespread, the digital divide may actually widen even further. However, when fully deployed, 5G promises to greatly enhance the speed, coverage and responsiveness of wireless networks for all.

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4. Autonomous vehicles are unsafe and easily hacked.

MYTH. The safety benefits of self-driving vehicles are significant with the potential to save lives and reduce injuries as 94% of serious crashes today are due to human error.³ Though as more and more cars become connected with built-in WIFI and digital capabilities, cybersecurity does become an issue that automakers and technology companies need to account for.

However, when it comes to autonomous vehicles, connectivity is a bit different. Self-driving cars will be connected to a larger system of vehicles and infrastructure, so it becomes much harder of a task to hack an entire complex system rather than a current individual vehicle on the road today.

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5. Big data generated annually is doubling every two years.

FACT. According to the World Economic Forum, the entire digital universe is expected to reach 44 zettabytes by 2020.⁴ Due to the recent popularity of photo and video sharing apps, this number is increasing exponentially every year, and doubling every two years. Companies need to figure out how to meet this demand and rely on storage and processing power as well as strong analytics capabilities to harness big data.

SK hynix’s semiconductor memories are positioned to tackle big data. They collect and analyze large amounts of unstructured data in real-time from data center servers and can operate with high performance, high capacity and low power consumption.

Setting the record straight

At SK hynix, our goal is to make people’s lives easier and give our partners best-in-class technology to harness the power of these next-generation technologies. It is built in our culture to be transparent in this process and make sure that these technologies are clearly defined to meet the needs of those who rely on it.

The expansion of the 4th industrial revolution technology will continue to see semiconductor memory prosper. By delivering innovative, high-performance and reliable products to our customers, SK hynix will continue to be a leader in the industry.

¹ H. Tankovska, “Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) headset shipments worldwide from 2020 to 2025”, Statista. (2020)
² Thomas Alsop, “Virtual Reality (VR) – statistics & facts”, Statista. (2020)
³ “Automated Vehicles for Safety”, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2020)
⁴ Jeff Desjardins, “How much data is generated each day?”, World Economic Forum. (2019)

The post Fact or Myth: Setting the record straight about next-gen technologies first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

The post [Invisible Memory : Part.3] Semiconductor Memory in Our Smart Cities first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

We’ve talked about how semiconductor memory connects our homes – running through our appliances, supporting our gaming systems and enabling our smart fitness equipment. But how does it connect our homes to other homes, and cities to other cities?

Whether we realize it or not, the beating heart of modern life is powered by semiconductor memory. In cities around the world, memory-enabled technology like 5G connectivity, IoT capabilities, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI) and automotive tech keep our lives running at lightning speeds.

The world is positioned to expand how AI products think and learn, to build networks of smart cities and hospitals through IoT’s enhanced data depth, to help autonomous vehicles process information and make split-second decisions as they learn new roads and situations, to discover new worlds through augmented reality, and to lift communities out of the dark by bringing Big Data to light.

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Beating Heart of Modern Life

Today, the world runs on 5G. The 5th generation mobile network, 5G was designed to connect anyone – anywhere, any time – at ultra-fast speeds. Our smartphones, computing devices, smartwatches, and smart medicine machines all rely on 5G to receive and transmit information around the world at record speeds. Industries from transportation to healthcare to information processing benefit from the high performance and efficiency of the 5G network, and all of the technologies it enables.

And behind all of these smart devices and machines is the need for memory. Generally speaking, more information transmitted means more information stored – and the more information stored, the greater the need for sophisticated memory systems.

Source : Pixinoo/Shutterstock.com

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For Heightened Security

One of these memory-enabled technologies is facial recognition CCTV – which relies on memory to process and store the data from billions of unique faces. In China, two AI companies called Megvii and Sensetime¹ are providing face recognition AI technology to governments and police forces.

Just recently, their technology was instrumental in catching a criminal in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China. The suspect was identified by concert security footage that was a match with a face in the country’s surveillance database. In Malaysia, the police force has even begun to use this type of facial recognition technology in body cams to capture images of suspected criminals and quickly check them against the police database. According to E2 Technologies², these tools have helped reduce the crime rate in regions where they are used.

Source : Bear Robotics

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Autonomous Goods and Services

AI technologies have more light-hearted uses as well – especially in the worlds of hospitality and dining, where robots are now helping with everyday functions in hotels, restaurants and bars. At Amichi’s³, a pizza restaurant in Mountain View, California, a self-driving robot named “Penny” is serving orders.

And they’re not alone – more and more American restaurants are using memory-embedded robots from simple food preparation to serving and washing dishes. Robots not only streamline the work of restaurant employees, but also reduce overall operating costs. According to The Spoon, 2020 will be the year for ‘food robots’ to enter the market in earnest.

Similary, as autonomous vehicles for the delivery are quickly approaching on the horizon, they require functions such as multi-camera vision processing and self-driving in order to monitor surroundings around the vehicle. Thus, ultra-huge computing processing has become necessary, so has semiconductor memories.

In fact, over the last few years, and across many states in the US, autonomous vehicles for the delivery of food and goods have been approved for real-world testing from some of the top automakers and technology companies including General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Google’s Waymo, and Uber, among many others. These companies have been partnering with grocery stores, restuarants and small businesses to help ease the problems of first/last mile delivery.

Source : Nuro’s blog site. Nuro R2 self-driving delivery vehicle in Houston, Texas

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Technology startup Nuro⁴ partnered with grocery giant, Kroger, to launch pilot cities in Scottsdale, AZ and Houston, TX, where they have been testing autonomous vehicle delivery for residents with its small toaster-shaped vehicles, called R2’s. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has seen increased use as the company can safely deliver groceries to citizens and limit person-to-person contact.

Creating Memory for the Future

As the world grows increasingly reliant on high-speed connection, demand for DRAM and NAND Flash memory solutions is higher than ever. And memory providers like SK hynix are innovating nonstop to keep up.

These technologies – and the memory systems that support them – are leading the way towards the smart cities of tomorrow, and SK hynix is at the forefront of the movement towards the future of information technology.

¹Blake Schmidt, “Hong Kong Police Already Have AI Tech That Can Recognize Faces”, Bloomberg. (2019)
²Amanda Lentino, “This Chinese facial recognition start-up can identify a person in seconds”, CNBC. (2019)
³Ahn Jung-rak, “Cooking is basic, serving and washing dishes… Robot wind blowing in an American restaurant”, Hankyung. (2019)
⁴Dave Ferguson, “Introducing R2, Nuro’s Next Generation Self-Driving Vehicle”, Medium. (2020)

Puzzle:

The post [Invisible Memory: Part.3] Semiconductor Memory in Our Smart Cities first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.