– Certification to raise company’s competitive edge in semiconductor memory technology for ADAS and other autonomous vehicle solutions

SK hynix announced that it has received an ISO 26262: 2018 FSM (Functional Safety Management) certification, the international standard for functional safety in automotive semiconductors. The global automotive functional safety certification institute, TUV Nord, conducted the assessment. Both companies commemorated the distinction by hosting an online ceremony. In attendance at the ceremony were Daeyong Shim, Head of Automotive Business, and Junho Song, Head of Quality System, from SK hynix and Bianca Pfuff, Profit Center Manager Functional Safety and Deputy Head of Certification Body SEECERT, and Josef Neumann, Senior Project Manager Functional Safety, from TUV Nord.

The ISO 26262 is the international standard for automobile functional safety established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2011 to prevent accidents caused by automotive electrical and electronic systems failures. This certification awarded to SK hynix, ISO 26262: 2018, is the latest version with additional requirements for automotive semiconductors. In the automotive industry, safety, quality, and reliability are paramount. Therefore, it is becoming essential that producers of car electronic device related to safety meet ISO 26262 standards.

This certification provides SK hynix with a solid foundation to lead the automotive semiconductor memory market forward, supported by its competitive product offering. The company achieved the top Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) rank in the industry, obtaining an ASIL-D distinction, the highest of four certification levels.

For the FSM certification, the assessment was conducted for SK hynix’s 8Gb LPDDR5. LPDDR5 is a high-capacity, high-performance, low-power memory component essential for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicle technology. SK hynix will continue to strengthen its position in the automotive market by adding products such as Universal Flash Storage (UFS) and High Bandwidth Memory 2E/3 (HBM2E/3) to its automotive product portfolio.

Daeyong Shim, Head of SK hynix’s Automotive Business, said, “We plan to expand strategic partnership with our automotive clients as this certification proves SK hynix’s automotive semiconductors possess world-leading functional safety technology.” Junho Song, Head of Quality System at SK hynix, added, “We will continue to enhance our safety, quality, and reliability to advance our position in the growing automotive memory market.”

Meanwhile, according to Strategy Analytics, the total ADAS memory market is expected to grow nearly three times by 2028, with an average annual growth (CAGR) of 24.5% (in terms of sales).

Representatives from SK hynix commemorated ISO 26262 FSM certification with officials from TUV Nord at a virtual event on Nov. 11.

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The post SK hynix Receives ISO 26262 FSM Certification, the International Functional Safety Standard in Automotive Semiconductors first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

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21st-century auto technology is undergoing a massive digital transformation that has been labelled the CASE revolution due to cars becoming more Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric. Vehicles now come with complex and efficient interconnectivity as well as integrated systems, such as infotainment, long-life batteries, and ultra-fast 5G networks. By leveraging a myriad of leading-edge technologies, car manufacturers are pushing the boundaries of mobility with never-before-seen functionality.

Vehicle automation in particular has been a focal point for automakers with self-driving cars now capable of performing most driving tasks, providing drivers with unprecedented convenience. Level 3 automated vehicles that can steer, accelerate, and brake on their own under certain conditions are presently being rolled out. This is a significant leap beyond levels 1 and 2 vehicles which offer driver assistance and Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) but still require steering and constant monitoring. Level 4 vehicles that can perform all driving tasks under certain conditions are currently in the developmental phase but are projected to find broader implementation by 2024 according to IDC.

Self-driving cars are fully loaded with electronic systems supporting an infrastructure, essentially making them mobile data centers that require an immense amount of computing power. The challenge automakers now face is creating data-storage subsystems that can handle advanced applications and meet automotive constraints. Semiconductors that have long powered the smartphone industry are currently being adapted into auto-grade memory and integrated into autonomous vehicles. With their increasing storage capacity and speeds, these tiny but powerful chips are now crucial for self-driving vehicles, creating a massive demand for NAND and DRAM in the global automotive market.

What makes self-driving possible?

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Self-driving cars use sensors such as LiDAR, RADAR, Ultrasonic, and high-resolution video cameras to detect objects and signs, including vehicles, traffic lights, lane markings, pedestrians, and road edges, thereby creating a map of its environment. Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology enables the vehicle to communicate with everything nearby, including other vehicles, infrastructure, networks and pedestrians to further help construct this virtual map. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the form of electronic control units (ECUs) then process and interpret all the sensory input and data before sending instructions to actuators that steer, brake, and accelerate as required. Sensors, V2X and AI technology all interact seamlessly together making self-driving vehicles a reality.

DRAM and NAND leading the smart car revolution

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The advanced technology embedded in self-driving cars require enhanced memory solutions due to the mission-critical nature of the applications and the immense amount of required storage. As people’s lives are on the line, there is no margin for error. This means auto-grade memory must be more reliable, faster, and robust than memory used in smartphones or laptops. Additionally, with self-driving cars projected to consume 5-20 TB per day per car, memory capacity must be increased to meet automotive needs.

To meet automotive-grade memory requirements LPDDR5 originally designed for mobile is being enhanced for self-driving vehicles, due to its many advantages including high density, performance, and endurance. LPDDR5 is being adapted for much larger dashboard displays to manage increasingly sophisticated navigational images and the control area of cockpit units. The digital cluster, front and rear sensors, and driver-monitoring system utilizing in-cabin cameras also require auto-grade LPDDR5.

High-capacity NAND flash memory, another key smartphone component, is playing an integral role in automotive applications and systems owing to its robust structure and multi-terabyte storage capabilities. Auto-grade NAND enables data capture and permanent storage of accidents in real-time as well as self-driving functions such as vehicle proximity alert, auto-headlights, speed regulation, emergency braking, lane integrity, and blind spot monitoring.

Meeting smart car industry standards

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According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), of all serious motor vehicles crashes, 94% were due to human error. Self-driving vehicles not only offer more convenience but the ability to reduce crashes, prevent injuries and save lives. To ensure driver safety, automotive-grade memory must meet stringent quality standards that ensure memory chips are error free and can be relied upon even in extreme temperatures and dynamic conditions.

A key standard established by the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) is AEC-Q100, a failure mechanism based stressed test qualification that guarantees a certain level of reliability and longevity for integrated circuits (IC). Stress testing of memory components concerns not only in-vehicle usage but the design and manufacturing process to ensure the highest quality product. To meet AEC-Q100 requirements, chip integrity is measured through a battery of stress tests involving temperature, vibration, and conditions such as dust and condensation. Only after passing all tests is a component certified auto-grade.

SK hynix has dedicated itself to achieving AEC-Q100 qualification by building up its process from the R&D stage to manufacturing using automotive industry standards. One such standard is IATF-16949, the Quality Management Systems standard for the automotive industry, which emphasizes defect prevention and reduction of variation and waste. Another industry standard SK hynix follows is ISO-26262, a mandate to develop a functional safety process to reduce the possibility of electrical malfunction. Additionally, Automotive Software Performance Improvement and Capability Determination (ASPICE) is an established framework used by SK hynix for measuring process quality.

Keeping pace with automotive memory needs

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With the advancement of self-driving cars, data storage has become a critical component of automotive design. This has placed a precedence on high data retention, speed and continual data integrity for the systems that make autonomous cars possible. As a developer of advanced, high-quality memory products, SK hynix stands at the forefront of this movement and is enhancing DRAM and NAND for the automotive market. In doing so SK hynix has positioned itself as a leader in the new e-mobility era and is committed to the ultimate goal of delivering safety and convenience to all drivers.

The post Let’s Hit the Road: Automated Vehicles are Pulling into the Fast Lane 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.

As the automotive industry continues to develop beyond the concept of traditional cars, the industry is entering a revolutionary period. Future mobility is quickly approaching on the horizon, and with the introduction of Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI), multi-camera vision processing and self-driving cars, ultra-huge computing processing has become a necessity.

19th-century internal combustion engines combined with 20th-century electrical systems have paved the way for the automotive technology of the 21st-century, which is now undergoing a massive digital transformation. Cars today, and tomorrow, will be more Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric than ever before, which is why this transformation has been dubbed the ‘CASE Revolution.’

The CASE Revolution is characterized by complex and efficient interconnectivity as well as integrated systems inside and outside of the vehicle. Enabled by the advancement of automotive electronics, trends like the increased adoption of infotainment systems, long-life batteries and ultrafast 5G networks all require high-capacity memory. Consequently, they are driving massive demand for DRAM and NAND solutions in the global automotive market.

The Next Generation of Automobile Memory

The surge in electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid vehicles, accompanied by the emergence of ADAS, Graphic Instrument Cluster (GIC), infotainment systems and fully autonomous driving solutions has created a need for Electronic Control Units (ECU) – automotive computer controllers used to receive and process signals from sensors and export control commands to the actuator to execute.

In traditional automotive Electrical / Electronic (E/E) modular architecture, each distributed ECU handles a single function independently. As modern vehicles contain many electronic functions, the number of ECUs increases dramatically from low/mid-end cars (around 30) for high-end cars (around 100). As a result, integrated ECU controllers like vehicle integration platforms and functional centralization have been introduced as a way to reduce cost and maximize power efficiency in four main areas: Powertrain, ADAS, Body, and IVI.

Figure 1. The diagrams of Distributed ECU, Integrated ECU, and DCU

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As the autonomous driving level evolves and the variety of IVI contents diversifies, the amount of data being processed has increased tremendously – this is a result of simultaneous complex cross functions and a connected network. Consolidation of ECUs into DCUs (Domain Control Units) reduces cost, weight and power consumption. DCU is a highly integrated domain control unit that implements advanced competencies like multi-sensor fusion and 3D localization. For example, vision processing for Level 4~5 Autonomous driving capabilities can contain up to 12 cameras with resolution up to 8M pixels, 60 Frame/sec refresh rates, and 16bit depth, allowing the data streaming rate to reach almost 10 GB/s.

Figure 2. Storage in a Modern Car¹

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Automotive LPDDR4 and LPDDR5 were originally designed for mobile applications, however, they’re being supercharged to meet auto-grade qualifications that are more demanding than for mobile applications. The LPDDR5 in particular has been adapted for much bigger displays in the latest vehicles to manage increasingly sophisticated navigational images and the control area of cockpit units. Furthermore, the digital cluster, front & rear sensors, and driver monitoring system utilizing in-cabin cameras, which are derived from traditional IVI, all require LPDDR5 DRAM’s high-end functionality.

However, higher computing and communication performance requires more electrical power demand – at least up to 4 kW. As tightening CO2-emission regulations for internal combustion engines (ICE) and range requirements for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) limit the overall power consumption, future E/E architectures and automotive memory must become more energy efficient. The next generation of automobile memory needs to push the envelope in bandwidth, latency, power, and capacity.

High-capacity NAND Flash memory modules also play an important role in many automotive applications and systems. When accidents happen, it is extremely important to capture the data of certain sensors in real-time and store it permanently in memory. Similarly, ADAS should draw the driver’s attention to potential dangers – like cars or other obstacles being too close. Adaptive functions can automatically switch on the headlights, regulate driving speed, initiate emergency braking, alert the driver to surrounding vehicles, keep the vehicle in its lane and even monitor a driver’s “blind spot.” Furthermore, the settings of the infotainment system must be instantaneously stored so that they are not lost in the event of a power failure. Both GIC and infotainment systems work with high-quality graphics and therefore require large amounts of overlay data. All these functions use non-volatile memory.

Figure 3. Estimated Density and Storage Type of NAND Flash Memory for Each Application

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[SK hynix’s Efforts in Automotive Semiconductor Industry]

Increasingly, automakers and semiconductor companies are joining forces as the auto industry progresses rapidly from merely adding electronics to actually building self-driving vehicles. While it grows with the industry, automotive memory must also continue to maintain the highest safety protection and superior quality. Making significant strides in the automotive semiconductor market in 2020, SK hynix is relentlessly pursuing the best performance and the highest quality.

To provide this, SK hynix is committed to supporting AEC-Q100² and building up its standard process – from designing in the R&D stage to manufacturing following IATF 16949³. There is also another standard called Automotive Software Performance Improvement and Capability Determination (ASPICE⁴), which is an established framework for measuring process quality. Functional safety (ISO 26262⁵) is another important aspect of safety-critical applications. SK hynix is working hard to meet all these standards, and only when we have achieved them can our products obtain the certifications and qualifications required in the automotive sector.

These automotive industry standards help ensure clear communication among stakeholders throughout the product lifecycle. The traceability not only helps product designers, engineers and testers develop with confidence, it also makes the market safer, and vehicles more reliable. Adhering to these standards will lead to better quality, higher efficiency, and lower failure rates.

SK hynix’s automotive memory is enabling technology for the development of ECC⁶ (Error Correction Code), BIST⁷ (Built-In Self-Test), and CRC⁸ (Cyclic Redundancy Check), and SK hynix is also creating a bit-cell that is more temperature resistant and introduces error correction within DRAM die that have lost their charge between refreshes. SK hynix is even applying the error correction function not only within the DRAM die but also in the DRAM interface to mitigate possible errors in automotive memory.

For NAND Flash, SK hynix applied TLC (Triple-Level-Cell) 4D NAND with PUC (Peri. Under Cell) technology to automotive UFS to guarantee its high-performance. It boasts faster random write and read speeds than eMMC 5.1 interface, enhancing the performance of IVI systems and instrument clusters. Automotive UFS is a high-performance storage interface ideal for advanced automotive systems that need ultra-fast boot capability and automotive-grade reliability.

Figure 4. SK Mobility Technology

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Figure 5. 8Gb LPDDR4 with 20nm Technology

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In conjunction with other SK Group affiliates, such as SK Telecom, SK Innovation, and others, SK hynix will lead the e-mobility industry’s revolution and contribute to the creation of both economic and social value with advanced and environmentally friendly semiconductor technologies.

SK hynix’s advanced, high-quality automotive memory products will push forward a new e-mobility era and deliver superior convenience to drivers around the world.

¹Presentation material “Infotainment and Autonomous Vehicles – The challenges of storage” by Michael Huonker, Daimler AG Research & Development, at FMS 2019
²AEC (Automotive Electronics Council): AEC-Q100 is a Failure Mechanism Based Stress Test Qualification for Integrated Circuits
³IATF (International Automotive Task Force): IATF 16949 is an Essential certification to improve automotive quality management systems that meet the specific needs of the customer
⁴Source: Automotive Spice (http://www.automotivespice.com/)
⁵ISO 26262: An international standard for functional safety of electrical and/or electronic systems in production automobiles defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2011
⁶ECC (Error Correction Code): Method for controlling errors in data over unreliable or noisy communication channels
⁷BIST (Built-In Self-Test): Mechanism that permits a machine to test itself for high reliability and lower repair cycle times
⁸CRC (Cycle Redundancy Check): An Error-detecting code to detect accidental changes to raw data

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This move will allow HEI to focus on its core business, while enabling the Automotive Electronics Division to function as an independent subsidiary in order to raise its productivity to an even higher level. The independent subsidiary will be named HYUNDAI AUTONET CO., LTD. Young Hwan Kim, president and chief executive officer of HEI, is expected to oversee HYUNDAI AUTONET CO., LTD. As Hyundai’s Automotive Electronics Division, this entity has developed and manufactured automotive navigational systems, automotive audio and audio/video systems, and a variety of censors for automobiles. The Division’s revenue for 1999 was approximately 320 billion won, or US $290 million. “Hyundai has planned the spin-off of its Automotive Electronics Division in response to automotive industry trends demanding more information for drivers, enhanced safety features, and superior quality,” said Young Hwan Kim, president and chief executive officer of HEI. “Our business strategy includes plans to integrate the current Automotive Audio/Video and Automotive Navigation Systems business units into one group under HYUNDAI AUTONET CO., LTD. This restructuring will help the subsidiary improve its automotive related sensors and other electronic systems to state-of-the-art levels, thereby furthering HEI’s objective of developing HYUNDAI AUTONET CO., LTD. into a world-class electronics manufacturer in the automotive industry,” Kim added. In addition, an investment of 130 billion won (approximately US $118 million) has been earmarked for HYUNDAI AUTONET CO., LTD. for Research & Development through the year 2002. This investment will position the subsidiary to move ahead of its competition through technology innovation, production enhancement, streamlining optimization, and unsurpassed quality.

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