“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” This famous quote from Nelson Mandela underlines the importance of continually overcoming seemingly unsurmountable challenges to achieve a goal, an approach which is essential to succeed in the rapidly evolving semiconductor sector.

As industry standards are consistently updated, semiconductor companies are tasked with finding the necessary technical solutions to comply with these criteria. SK hynix has a long track record in this area, as recently exemplified by its ability to meet the increased speed standards for the latest GDDR¹ graphics DRAM, GDDR7.

¹Graphics DDR (GDDR): A standard specification of graphics DRAM defined by the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) and specialized for processing graphics more quickly. It is now one of the most popular memory chips for AI and big data applications.

This episode of Rulebreakers’ Revolutions will focus on how the company’s design and technical innovations coupled with cross-departmental collaboration enabled it to develop the industry-leading GDDR7 with the highest levels of speed.

The Mission: Finding Technical Solutions to Meet GDDR7 Speed Standards

Traditionally used in graphics and gaming, GDDR DRAM is now applied to a broader range of fields including AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and autonomous driving. This is due to its parallel processing capability and advanced specifications such as high speed and power efficiency which have increased with each generation.

To satisfy increased industry speed standards for GDDR7, SK hynix derived key design and technical innovations

The standards for GDDR memory are set by the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC), the global standardization body for the microelectronics industry. These include ever-increasing speed requirements, progressing for example from GDDR5’s data rate of 5–10 gigabits per second (Gbps) per pin to GDDR6’s speed of 14–20 Gbps. For GDDR7, JEDEC set a target data rate range of 24 –32 Gbps, placing additional pressure on semiconductor companies to adapt to meet the latest specifications.

One of the main changes in the GDDR7 standards to facilitate these rapid speeds was the introduction of a new signaling interface. For the first time in a JEDEC standard for DRAM products, GDDR7 called for the use of the innovative PAM² method for high frequency operations. Unlike the traditional NRZ³ interface which uses two levels to transmit data, the new PAM3 system employs three levels, enabling a higher data transmission rate for improved performance.

²Pulse amplitude modulation (PAM): A signaling process that encodes a continuous analog signal into discrete analog pulses by representing the signal’s amplitude as a binary number at a specific time.
³Non-return-to-zero (NRZ): A simple signaling interface which sends information over two levels of a signal. As the name suggests, the signal does not return to zero during between bits.

By using three levels to transmit data, PAM3 offers faster data transmission rates than the two-level NRZ interface

To support the required rapid data rate specifications and PAM3 interface, GDDR7 products needed to incorporate several new cutting-edge technologies and design innovations. In addition to these technical challenges, SK hynix also had to overhaul the testing approach it used for GDDR6. During these tests, the company faced difficulties in ensuring the same performance in real-world system environments as it achieved in the device testing phase.

Tasked with devising technological innovations and rethinking its testing approach, SK hynix tapped into its design knowhow, company-wide expertise, and well-established ability to take on new challenges.

Design Innovations, Collaboration, & New Testing Approach to Reach Speed Goals

SK hynix drew from its experience developing GDDR6 and embraced cross-departmental collaboration for GDDR7, enhancing several key design elements and integrating advanced technologies to hit the product’s ambitious speed targets.

In a company-first for a mass-produced DRAM product, SK hynix integrated a T-coil⁴ inductor following multiple tests and evaluations to optimize its metal layers. T-coils improve signal integrity by mitigating high-frequency losses, thereby expanding the data eye margin⁵ and facilitating reliable high-speed data transfer.

⁴T-coil: An inductive circuit commonly used in analog and radio frequency electronics to improve signal integrity and overall circuit performance.
⁵Data eye margin: The safety buffer within a digital signal’s eye diagram, a representation of signal integrity, that ensures reliable data transmission in high-speed communication systems.

SK hynix derived several design innovations to attain GDDR7’s increased speed standards

SK hynix also implemented an established and robust write clock (WCK) framework, a high-speed clock signal dedicated to data input and output operations. This design allows for precise timing control for data transfers, resulting in higher data rates. To maintain stable data transmission at high speeds, the company also increased the number of heat-dissipating substrate layers from four to six and applied EMC⁶ as the packaging material to reduce thermal resistance.

⁶Epoxy Molding Compound (EMC): An essential material for semiconductor packaging that seals chips to protect them from water, heat, and shock damage.

As part of efforts to improve its testing environment and ensure consistent performance, the company put together a specialized taskforce. This team established an evaluation, analysis, and management environment that could ensure consistency between simulation results and actual system implementation. Additionally, the taskforce outlined key design parameters to secure characteristics in system environments and developed circuit schemes for high-speed operation.

Regarding PAM3 testing, SK hynix first confirmed the feasibility of PAM3 operation by producing a test chip. Moreover, the company needed a solution to test PAM3 on existing mass-produced devices which use NRZ signaling. Through collaboration with related departments and test working group activities, the company carried out functional verification and mass production testing of PAM3 using NRZ signaling equipment. This enabled SK hynix to extend GDDR7’s multi-level I/O verification capabilities without requiring completely new testing infrastructure.

Aside from innovations related to improving speed or integrating PAM3 signaling, SK hynix also secured a competitive edge in power efficiency for its GDDR7 by supporting heterogeneous power modes. Through this advancement which allowed the product to function at lower voltages, the company was able to achieve significant power savings.

Redefining Standards in Speed & Power Efficiency

Boasting a rapid data rate and data processing speed, the GDDR7 offers industry-leading specifications

As a result of its strong internal collaboration, ability to overcome technological obstacles, and previous GDDR experience, SK hynix was able to develop the industry-leading GDDR7 in July 2024. The groundbreaking product achieved an industry-leading data rate of 32 Gbps—over 60% faster than the previous generation—which can rise to up to 40 Gbps depending on the circumstances.

When adopted for high-end graphics cards, SK hynix’s GDDR7 offers a data processing speed of more than 1.5 TB per second, equivalent to processing 300 Full HD movies each with a capacity of 5 GB, in a second. Overall, the product offers a 74% reduction in thermal resistance compared with the previous generation.

In addition to improved speed and heat dissipation, SK hynix enhanced the product’s power efficiency by more than 50% compared with the previous generation. This is particularly crucial to ensure GDDR7 can maintain its high performance for demanding applications such as AI while minimizing energy consumption.

These performance breakthroughs position SK hynix’s GDDR7 as the world’s highest-spec GDDR7. The development ensured SK hynix not only advanced the product’s characteristics but also established high-speed features that will benefit other DRAM products, such as mobile memory, bolstering its leadership in high-speed solutions.

Rulebreaker Interview: Jinyoup Cha, Graphic Design

The SK hynix Newsroom spoke with Jinyoup Cha, team leader of Graphic Design, a team in the DRAM Design department responsible for designing graphic DRAMs, to learn more about the company’s innovative approach to GDDR development. Having led the design of GDDR7, Cha is well-positioned to discuss the challenges of continually improving speed characteristics and the goals for next-generation GDDR memory.

<Other articles from this series>

[Rulebreakers’ Revolutions] How MR-MUF’s Heat Control Breakthrough Elevated HBM to New Heights

[Rulebreakers’ Revolutions] How SK hynix Broke Barriers in Mobile DRAM Scaling With World-First HKMG Application

[Rulebreakers’ Revolutions] Innovative Design Scheme Helps HBM3E Reach New Heights

[Rulebreakers’ Revolutions] How SK hynix’s Server DRAM Validation Process Succeeds in a Diverse Server CPU Market

[Rulebreakers’ Revolutions] Flexible & Collaborative eSSD Virtualization Development for Today’s Data Centers

The post [Rulebreakers’ Revolutions] How SK hynix’s Design Innovations Pushed GDDR7 to New Limits of Speed first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

Driving key technologies, intertwined with industries across the world, and an essential part of the AI era—semiconductors are integral to daily life. This fifth episode in the Semiconductor 101 series explores in detail why semiconductors are crucial for shaping modern society. The article also delves into why SK hynix is adapting its approach in the AI era and examines the sweeping influence of the semiconductor industry on the global economy.

Why does the world need semiconductor memory?

Semiconductor memory is indispensable for modern technology, enabling efficient data storage and processing across a variety of devices. To gain a better understanding of semiconductor memory’s importance, let’s picture how its absence would impact some areas of life.

A world without semiconductor memory would be like stepping back in time

Work

Without semiconductor memory, workers would find tasks that once could be finished in a day would take weeks or even months to complete. Computers would be painfully slow and inefficient —making opening and saving files a chore—and offer significantly reduced storage capacity. Multitasking would also be inefficient, with noticeable delays when switching between applications like Word documents and web browsers.

Other essential business applications such as video conferencing, cloud-based software, and messaging tools would be unreliable and costly, hindering collaboration and presenting huge obstacles to remote workers.

Digital Entertainment

People may struggle to fill their evenings and weekends as the entertainment on offer becomes severely limited. Online activities would be time-consuming or almost impossible without semiconductor memory, which enables networking equipment to manage and route data. Social media would be unrecognizable, as users would be unable to instantly share photos and videos. Streaming, gaming, and cloud services would also be unusable without fast and scalable storage solutions. Smartphones would not exist in their current form either, as high-performance and efficient memory is key to the functionality, compact size, and battery life of modern phones.

Banking & Finance

Financial transactions would look very different in a world without semiconductor memory. It would be necessary to make frequent trips to the bank, as app-based transactions would be impossible. This would affect personal finances and the broader economy.

Why is semiconductor memory crucial for the AI era?

In the AI era, semiconductor memory plays a key role in ensuring the smooth operation of AI applications. Today’s AI systems are performing advanced tasks such as image generation and problem solving which require significant data processing capabilities. Moreover, as these AI tools require ever-growing amounts of data to continue their evolution, there is a pressing need to manage this explosion of data. That’s where semiconductor memory comes in.

Semiconductor memory offers several key features which support the smooth operation of AI

High-performance memory is essential for data storage, retrieval, and processing, enabling technologies to keep pace with the rapid rate of data generation. Let’s break down some of the reasons why semiconductor memory is essential in the age of AI.

• Rapid Data Processing: AI systems must rapidly process vast amounts of data to make real-time decisions. Semiconductor memory supports this process by enabling fast data access and storage.
• AI Training Support: AI applications are trained on large datasets to improve their performance. Memory products with high capacity and bandwidth can store and manage these datasets. Moreover, the rapid read/write capabilities of memory solutions can accelerate AI training, making AI systems more efficient.
• Energy Efficiency: AI applications are resource intensive. Semiconductor memory helps reduce power consumption, making them more sustainable. Edge devices¹, such as smart sensors and mobile AI processors, depend on energy-efficient semiconductor memory to perform tasks like real-time image recognition while conserving battery life.

As AI continues to evolve and integrate into various technologies, semiconductor memory remains the key to unlocking its full potential.

Why is HBM an essential product for AI?

Featuring stacked DRAM² chips, High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) is an ultra-fast memory technology which has become crucial in the age of AI. Combining high performance with low-power consumption, HBM can efficiently handle the growing demands of AI systems.

Combining high performance with low-power consumption, HBM is an essential AI memory product

To illustrate some of the benefits of HBM for AI compared to other DRAM products, think of it as an upgraded metro system that reduces passenger wait times at stops. Traditional DRAM chips have a limited number of data paths, akin to station entrances and exits, which are prone to bottlenecks in the data-centric AI era.

Meanwhile, HBM features significantly more data paths which run vertically to support the smooth and rapid passage of data, just like passengers freely passing through a station with numerous entrances and exits. HBM’s ability to minimize delays, or latency, is key in AI systems which need real-time data access to perform tasks such as deep learning.

As touched upon in the previous question, AI systems handle massive datasets and complex computations. HBM supports these tasks by enabling swift and efficient data processing, making it ideal for AI training. For example, SK hynix’s world’s best-performing 12-layer HBM3E offers industry-leading data processing speeds of 1.18 terabytes (TB) per second.

In addition, HBM is optimized for supporting parallel processing in AI systems due to its high bandwidth. As it offers high performance with low-power consumption, HBM also enables AI systems to operate efficiently, particularly in data centers and edge computing devices.

Why does SK hynix need to expand its semiconductor production capacity?

Today, phones instantly recognize faces, autonomous cars cruise down highways, and smart fridges can place orders for food. These developments are largely thanks to technologies such as AI, 5G, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which all require high-performance memory products. Moreover, the rapid growth of these and other advanced technologies is further heightening memory demand.

The number of AI users is forecast to grow rapidly, heightening demand for semiconductor memory

Looking at the AI market alone, the number of AI users is projected to grow from almost 255 million in 2023 to around 730 million by 2030³. In response to this changing technological landscape and resultant rising demand for memory, SK hynix is ramping up its production capacity. The company currently operates four production facilities in its home country of South Korea and plans to build two additional domestic facilities in the future, namely:

• The Yongin semiconductor cluster which will boost the company’s production of AI memory
• A fabrication facility (fab) in Cheongju which will produce next-generation DRAM products, including HBM

While it may seem straightforward to simply build new manufacturing facilities to increase production, there are other aspects to consider. For example, there are often challenges associated with commercializing innovations through mass production.

SK hynix is adept in this area, as the company has a long history of transitioning innovations from the R&D stage through to high-volume manufacturing, particularly with DRAM and NAND flash⁴. A recent example of this occurred in March 2024, when the company successfully mass-produced its 8-layer HBM3E through close client collaboration and enhancements in product design.

Why does the semiconductor industry have so much impact on the global economy?

The value of the semiconductor market is greater than the GDP of numerous countries

Semiconductors are essential components in a multitude of electronic devices and are driving technological advancements, making the industry a cornerstone of the global economy. In 2023, the semiconductor market was valued at around 611 billion USD, greater than the GDP of Singapore. However, the full extent of the semiconductor sector’s impact on the global economy can only be understood when looking at some of the industries fueled by these chips.

The consumer electronics market, which is valued at around 950 billion USD, relies heavily on semiconductors. The market’s size is emphasized by the fact that global smartphone subscriptions have surpassed 6.9 billion.

The telecommunications sector, including the expected trillion-dollar 5G market, also depends on semiconductors along with the automotive and healthcare industries. As previously mentioned, semiconductors are also key to advanced technologies such as AI, 5G, and IoT, highlighting their ubiquity in a wide range of high-value technology markets.

While it has been established that the semiconductor sector is a multi-billion-dollar industry which creates immense direct revenue, it also contributes to the economy in other forms. In particular, the sector employs people across the world in roles such as R&D, supply chain management, and manufacturing. By 2030, an estimated 3 million employees will be needed in the sector, highlighting its impact on jobs markets worldwide.

Exploring semiconductor manufacturing in more detail, production is concentrated in East Asian countries such as Taiwan and South Korea. Slowdowns in production which contributed to global chip shortages throughout the years have further highlighted the sector’s strategic importance to numerous industries across the world.

Looking ahead, the semiconductor industry’s impact on the global economy will only continue to grow as the sector itself, and others which rely on chips, expand in the future.

¹Edge: The boundary of a network where data is generated and processed locally on devices or sensors, rather than being transmitted to a centralized data center.
²Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DRAM): A type of short-term computer memory that stores data temporarily while a device is on, losing information when the power is turned off.
³Statista, “Generative artificial intelligence (AI)” report (2024)
⁴NAND Flash: A long-term storage technology that retains data even when the power is off, commonly used in USB drives and memory cards.

The final episode of the Semiconductor 101 series will explore “how” semiconductors are made and provide insights on launching and advancing a career in this dynamic industry.

<Other articles from this series>

[Semiconductor 101] SK hynix’s Guide to Who’s Who in the Semiconductor Industry

[Semiconductor 101] SK hynix Explains “What’s What” in the Semiconductor World

[Semiconductor 101] When Semiconductors & SK hynix Made Their Mark on the World

[Semiconductor 101] “Where” in the World Are Semiconductors Made and Applied? SK hynix Reveals All

The post [Semiconductor 101] “Why” Modern Tech Needs Semiconductors & SK hynix’s Key Contributions first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

What fuels progress in the rapidly changing semiconductor world? While invention is the driver behind many advancements, reimagining the use of existing technologies for new applications can also overcome barriers to progress. This latter approach enabled SK hynix to make huge strides in the mobile DRAM field.

While the semiconductor industry struggled to continue mobile DRAM scaling¹, SK hynix made a significant breakthrough with the world’s first application of High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) to mobile DRAM. Through this innovative use of the long-established HKMG process, the company was able to develop next-generation LPDDR² products which set new standards in performance.

¹Scaling: The reduction in size of semiconductors to produce better device performance, power efficiency, and cost.
²Low Power Double Data Rate (LPDDR): Low-power DRAM products for mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, aimed at minimizing power consumption and featuring low voltage operation.

This Rulebreakers’ Revolutions episode focuses on SK hynix’s groundbreaking application of HKMG and the challenges the company overcame to integrate this process to mobile DRAM.

The Mission: Tackle Power Loss Issues to Continue Mobile DRAM Scaling

The growth of on-device AI and other applications is placing ever-increasing performance demands on mobile devices. In turn, mobile DRAM must continue scaling down and provide faster processing speeds to support these applications while maintaining low-power consumption. However, there are issues with the continued miniaturization of mobile DRAM transistors through traditional processes.

A DRAM typically includes cell transistors which store data and peripheral (peri.) transistors responsible for data input and output. To improve DRAM performance, it is necessary to scale down transistors which brings the source³ and drain⁴ closer together and increases the current. However, to reduce power consumption, the operating voltage to the gate⁵ must be decreased. Consequently, the gate insulating film must be thinned to improve transistor performance at a lower voltage.

In standard DRAM products including mobile DRAMs, this insulating film is generally made from silicon oxynitride (SiON) which encounters reliability issues when reduced in thickness. Moreover, the thinning of SiON insulators increases the amount of leakage current⁶, leading to a loss of power. This is a significant issue for battery-powered mobile devices in which low-power consumption is critical to extend the usage time on a single charge.

³Source: The terminal through which the majority charge carriers enter the transistor.
⁴Drain: The terminal through which the majority charge carriers exit from the transistor.
⁵Gate: A component in a transistor that controls the flow of electric current by acting as an on-off switch.
⁶Leakage current: Unwanted flow of electrical current that occurs when the transistor is in the off state.

SiON insulators in conventional transistors are a barrier to DRAM scaling

To tackle this power consumption issue and ultimately ensure the continued scaling of mobile DRAM without compromising performance, SK hynix once again broke the rules of convention and turned to a long-standing technology—HKMG.

The Future Lies in The Past: World-First HKMG Application & Integration Challenges

HKMG was commercialized over a decade ago, first used in logic semiconductors and then applied to high-performance DRAM memory. Although HKMG was an established technology, SK hynix was the first company to see it as a solution to the scaling limitations of mobile DRAM while others continued with traditional processes. This pioneering application of HKMG and optimization of the process revolutionized the mobile DRAM sector, paving the way for ultra-low-power and ultra-high-speed solutions.

The groundbreaking application of HKMG enabled mobile DRAM to continue scaling

So what is HKMG and how does it solve the issues of the traditional SiON process? The HKMG process involves replacing the traditional SiON insulator in transistors with a thin High-K film which prevents leakage currents and improves reliability. Offering high levels of permittivity⁷, High-K film provides equivalent electrical characteristics as a film five times thicker. This thinner film enables continuous transistor scaling, resulting in faster speeds and lower power characteristics compared to SiON-based transistors.

⁷Permittivity: Degree of how many electrons can be stored inside a gate.

The HKMG process tackled the power and performance issues associated with SiON insulators in conventional transistors

As the whole HKMG process had never been applied to mobile DRAM before, SK hynix had to optimize the process and overcome challenges to ensure its smooth application. One of the most significant risks the company recognized was the potential for defects to arise from the application of HKMG to mobile DRAM. In particular, when applying the HKMG process to an LPDDR product for the first time, various stability issues arising from the use of new materials could cause chip defects. To combat this, SK hynix conducted preliminary evaluations through pilot products. Through these various evaluations and tests along with leveraging cross-company expertise, SK hynix was able to maximize transistor performance and ultimately secure the integrated process solution for mobile DRAM.

Unlocking New LPDDR Solutions

The first-ever mobile DRAM products made with the HKMG process offered huge leaps in power and speed

The successful integration of the HKMG process with mobile DRAM paved the way for SK hynix to develop new ultra-low-power and rapid LPDDR solutions. In November 2022, the company released the world’s first ever mobile DRAM with the integrated HKMG process, Low Power Double Data Rate 5X (LPDDR5X). The product offered ultra-low operating power of 1.01–1.12V and an operating speed of 8.5 Gbps. LPDDR5X is 33% faster and uses 21% less power compared to the previous generation, ensuring it meets both sustainability goals to lower carbon emissions and technological targets.

Just two months later, SK hynix once again set new standards in mobile DRAM with the introduction of Low Power Double Data Rate Turbo (LPDDR5T). While LPDDR5T operates at the same low voltage as LPDDR5X and provides a 21% reduction in power consumption from LPDDR5, it also offers significant leaps in speed from its predecessor. At the time of its release, LPDDR5T was the world’s fastest mobile DRAM, boasting an impressive operating speed of 9.6 Gbps—13% faster than LPDDR5X and 50% quicker than LPDDR5. Such speeds were only thought of as possible with the next-generation LPDDR6, but the company was able to reach new heights ahead of schedule thanks largely to the application of HKMG.

Rulebreaker Interview: Jongchan Choi, Product Solution Process Integration

To learn more about the “rulebreaking” approach which led to the application of HKMG to mobile DRAM, the SK hynix newsroom interviewed Team Leader Jongchan Choi of Product Solution Process Integration. Choi, who helped develop the process solution when HKMG was first applied to LPDDR products, discusses the future direction of HKMG and its potential future applications beyond mobile DRAM.

<Other articles from this series>

[Rulebreakers’ Revolutions] How MR-MUF’s Heat Control Breakthrough Elevated HBM to New Heights

[Rulebreakers’ Revolutions] Innovative Design Scheme Helps HBM3E Reach New Heights

The post [Rulebreakers’ Revolutions] How SK hynix Broke Barriers in Mobile DRAM Scaling With World-First HKMG Application first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

When the earliest semiconductor devices emerged in the 19th century, a revolution was set in motion that would reshape the technological landscape. One scientific breakthrough after another, these milestones mark the dawn of an era in which innovation and progress became the new normal. Ultimately, these discoveries changed the way people live, work, and connect. In this Semiconductor 101 episode, the milestones and key turning points of the semiconductor industry, and SK hynix, will be examined to better understand how semiconductor technology reached today’s unprecedented levels.

When was the first semiconductor made?

As shown in the first episode, the development of semiconductor technology throughout history cannot be attributed to one person or a single moment. Instead, a long and intertwined web of pioneers and innovators contributed to the field’s evolution.

Starting with the first documented observation of a semiconductor effect by English scientist Michael Faraday in 1833, progress in the semiconductor world began to gather pace with several key discoveries. In 1874, German physicist Karl Ferdinand Braun invented what is widely considered to be the first-ever semiconductor diode¹. The mid-20th century then witnessed a number of key inventions including the transistor² in 1947, the integrated circuit³ in 1958, and the MOSFET⁴, in 1960.

The origins of semiconductor memory can be traced back to the 1960s

A number of these innovative technologies would go on to be applied in the memory field, leading to the first semiconductor memory products. Developed by engineers at major semiconductor companies, some of these early semiconductor memory solutions include: DRAM⁵, SRAM⁶, and NAND flash.

DRAM
In 1966, IBM’s Robert Heath Dennard invented DRAM, a system that would hold one bit in a single transistor. The technology was put into popular use in 1970 when Intel developed a 1-kilobit DRAM chip using a three-transistor cell design. Called the 1103, the first-ever commercial DRAM replaced magnetic core memories as the new standard technology for computer memory.

SRAM
Robert Norman patented a semiconductor SRAM design at Fairchild Semiconductor in 1963 to create a faster and more reliable form of memory capable of enhancing computing performance. Two years later, IBM commercialized the first SRAM chip for use in its computer. Unlike DRAM, SRAM can retain data without the need for constant refreshing. This capability, coupled with its high speed and reliability, ensured that SRAM became an essential component in modern computing.

NAND Flash
As the most widely-used flash memory today, NAND flash has numerous applications including smartphones, solid-state drives (SSDs), and data centers. This electronic, non-volatile computer memory storage that can be erased and reprogrammed was first unveiled by Fujio Masuoka of Toshiba Memory Corporation (now known as KIOXIA) in 1987. The company would go on to commercialize the world’s first NAND flash memory product in 1991.

When did semiconductor memory become important for our daily lives?

Semiconductor memory has progressed and grown in importance in line with the rapid explosion of data and technological advancements. By tracing the history of technological progress over the last century, it is clear to see the key role that semiconductor memory plays in these technologies and daily life.

Demand for semiconductor memory has grown rapidly as data generation has increased over the years

Age of Giant Computers: Before 1980s
Although unimaginable today, the first line of computers such as the ENIAC⁷ was so large that they would take up a whole room. These massive devices were almost exclusively used by businesses and governments for bulk data processing and complex calculations. In terms of data storage, there was a landmark change in the 1970s when semiconductor memory replaced magnetic-based memory to become the dominant storage technology.

Emergence of PCs: 1980s–2000s
Many people’s memories of their first family computer will be of a bulky, gray PC sitting atop an office desk. While they are primitive by modern standards, these early popularized PCs of the 1980s brought computing—and data—into homes across the world for the first time. One of the most prevalent PCs of this era was Commodore 64 (C64), which came with 64 kilobytes (KB) of RAM⁸ when it was released in 1982.

Smartphones & Cloud Computing: 2000s to Present
Although it was not the first smartphone, the original iPhone kicked off the smartphone boom upon its release in 2007. Able to take photos, send emails, access the internet, and more, smartphones generate huge amounts of data which is stored in semiconductor memory. As the pace of data generation continues to quicken, demand is also growing for cloud storage which relies on server DRAM, NAND flash, and SSDs.

The AI Era & Beyond
As AI continues to permeate more aspects of daily life, semiconductor memory is driving the technology’s development. High-performance memory such as SK hynix’s HBM⁹ is optimized for AI applications as it can handle and access vast amounts of data. As the pace of data usage continues to accelerate over the course of the AI era and beyond, semiconductor memory will only play a bigger role in AI and other advanced technologies.

When did SK hynix start manufacturing semiconductors?

Founded as Hyundai Electronics in 1983, SK hynix has been a hub of innovation in the semiconductor industry over the course of its 40-plus-year history. In 1984, SK hynix’s pilot production of South Korea’s first-ever 16 kilobit (Kb) SRAM kickstarted the company’s journey as a semiconductor manufacturer. Just a year later, the company mass-produced its first DRAM product—a 64 Kb DRAM. SK hynix then completed construction of a semiconductor assembly plant two months later, enabling it to ramp up production.

As the years ticked by, the company enhanced its product lineup and fully established itself as a leader in the semiconductor sector. Some of its key milestones included mass-producing the 256 Mb SDRAM for mobile phones in 2003, developing the 512 Mb NAND flash in 2004, and the world’s first TSV¹⁰-based HBM in 2013.

Fast-forward to today, SK hynix has a broad portfolio of ultra-high-performance solutions including DRAM, NAND flash, SSDs, and CMOS image sensors (CIS)¹¹. The company is continually pushing technological limits to develop groundbreaking products such as the world’s first 321-layer NAND flash and industry-leading HBM3E. Taking the latest 12-layer, 36 GB HBM3E as an example, this groundbreaking DRAM for AI systems boasts around 4.5 million times¹² more data storage than the 64 Kb DRAM of 1985. Having come so far over the years, the company is set to continue to set new standards in the semiconductor sector with its next-generation products.

SK hynix’s semiconductor memory products have evolved immensely since the company’s early days

When did SK hynix expand into the global market?

SK hynix has constantly advanced its product lineup, formed strategic global partnerships, and innovated across its operations to become a leading light in the semiconductor memory industry. Looking at the company’s flagship products, SK hynix held a 31.8% share of the DRAM market and a 21.6% share of the NAND flash market in the fourth quarter of 2023. The company is also the HBM market leader, dominating the sector with its industry-leading products.

SK hynix commands significant shares of the global DRAM and NAND flash markets

While there wasn’t a single moment when SK hynix expanded in the global market, there are several instances over the years where the company has made its mark worldwide:

1983 – Began overseas expansion with establishment of Hyundai Electronics America—later becoming SK hynix America

1989 – Ranked 20th in the global semiconductor industry

1995 – Established a non-memory U.S. corporation called SYMBIOS and constructed a semiconductor plant in the U.S. state of Oregon

1996 – Began its initial public offering (IPO) process

2004 – Sold non-memory business to shift focus to semiconductor memory

2006 – Completed construction of DRAM chip plant in Wuxi, China

2010 – Named to Dow Jones’ Sustainability World Index, started joint development with Hewlett-Packard for next-generation memory product, and completed second memory chip plant in China capable of 100 million units of 1 GB DRAM chips per month

2012 – Joined SK Group and officially rebranded as SK hynix

2018 – Posted record operating profits

2020 – Invested in AI company Gauss Labs located in Silicon Valley

2021 – Completed first phase of acquiring Intel’s NAND business to enhance AI memory capabilities

2023 – Developed and mass-produced HBM3E with the world’s best specifications for AI systems and applications

2024 – Announced plan to build advanced chip packaging plant and R&D facility in Indiana, U.S.

¹Semiconductor diode: A simple electronic component that conducts electricity in one direction.
²Transistor: A semiconductor device that regulates current or voltage flow and acts as a switch or gate for electronic signals.
³Integrated circuit (IC): A small electronic device comprising of components such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors on semiconductor material.
⁴Metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET): An active semiconductor device in which a conducting channel is induced in the region between two electrodes by a voltage applied to an insulated electrode on the surface of the region.
⁵Dynamic random-access memory (DRAM): Volatile memory that needs to be refreshed periodically to maintain stored data. Like SRAM, it loses stored data when the power supply is removed.
⁶Static random-access memory (SRAM): Volatile memory that holds memory permanently as long as power is supplied. Unlike DRAM, it does not have to be refreshed periodically to keep storing data.
⁷Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC): Built in 1946, the ENIAC was the world’s first general purpose electronic computer.
⁸Random access memory (RAM): A computer’s main memory in which data can be rapidly accessed directly by the central processing unit regardless of the sequence it was recorded.
⁹High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value, high-performance product that possesses much higher data processing speeds compared to existing DRAMs by vertically connecting multiple DRAMs with through-silicon via (TSV).
¹⁰Through-silicon via (TSV): A type of vertical interconnect access (via) that completely passes through a silicon die or wafer to enable the stacking of silicon dice.
¹¹CMOS image sensor (CIS): Acting as the “eyes” of electronic devices, a CIS converts light into electrical energy to create images.
¹²Calculation based on the decimal standard.

Having looked at when semiconductor technology and SK hynix began to make their mark on the world, the next episode will cover where semiconductors are developed and more.

<Other articles from this series>

[Semiconductor 101] SK hynix’s Guide to Who’s Who in the Semiconductor Industry

[Semiconductor 101] SK hynix Explains “What’s What” in the Semiconductor World

The post [Semiconductor 101] When Semiconductors & SK hynix Made Their Mark on the World first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

• 1c node, 6th generation of 10nm process, developed in most efficient way by applying platform of industry-leading 1b technology
• Cost competitiveness improved with adoption of new material, optimization of EUV process, while power efficiency enhanced to help reduce electricity cost of data centers by 30% maximum
• Mass production expected to be ready this year for volume shipment in 2025
• Application of 1c node to leading-edge DRAM products to bring differentiated values to customers

Seoul, August 29, 2024

SK hynix Inc. (or “the company”, www.skhynix.com) announced today that it has developed the industry’s first 16Gb DDR5 built using its 1c node, the sixth generation of the 10nm process.

The success marks the beginning of the extreme scaling to the level closer to 10nm in the memory process technology.

The degree of difficulty to advance the shrinking process of the 10nm-range DRAM technology has grown over generations, but SK hynix has become the first in the industry to overcome the technological limitations by raising the level of completion in design, thanks to its industry-leading technology of the 1b, the fifth generation of the 10nm process.

SK hynix said it will be ready for mass production of the 1c DDR5 within the year to start volume shipment next year.

In order to reduce potential errors stemming from the procedure of advancing the process and transfer the advantage of the 1b, which is widely applauded for its best performing DRAM, in the most efficient way, the company extended the platform of the 1b DRAM for development of 1c.

The new product comes with an improvement in cost competitiveness, compared with the previous generation, by adopting a new material in certain process of the extreme ultra violet, or EUV, while optimizing the EUV application process of total. SK hynix also enhanced productivity by more than 30% through technological innovation in design.

The operating speed of the 1c DDR5, expected to be adopted for high-performance data centers, is improved by 11% from the previous generation, to 8Gbps. With power efficiency also improved by more than 9%, SK hynix expects adoption of 1c DRAM to help data centers reduce the electricity cost by as much as 30% at a time when advancement of AI era is leading to an increase in power consumption.

“We are committed to providing differentiated values to customers by applying the 1c technology equipped with the best performance and cost competitiveness to our major next-generation products including HBM¹, LPDDR6², and GDDR7³,” said Head of DRAM Development Kim Jonghwan. “We will continue to work towards maintaining the leadership in the DRAM space and position as the most-trusted AI memory solution provider.”

¹HBM(High Bandwidth Memory): a high-value, high-performance memory that vertically interconnects multiple DRAM chips and dramatically increases data processing speed in comparison to conventional DRAM products. Since the introduction of the first HBM, the generation has shifted to HBM2, HBM2E, HBM3, HBM3E, HBM4 and HBM4E.
²LPDDR: low power DRAM for mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, which aims to minimize power consumption and features low voltage operation. The latest specifications are for the 7th generation, succeeding the series that end with 1, 2, 3, 4, 4X, 5 and 5X.
³GDDR(Graphics DDR): a standard specification of graphics DRAM defined by the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) and specialized for processing graphics more quickly. Its generation has shifted from GDDR3, GDDR5, GDDR5X, GDDR6 to GDDR7. With the newer generation promising faster speed and higher power efficiency, GDDR has now become one of the most popular memory chips for AI.

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 Develops Industry’s First 1c DDR5 first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

FMS 2024 features a broader focus on different memory types compared to previous years

SK hynix has returned to Santa Clara, California to present its full array of groundbreaking AI memory technologies at FMS: the Future of Memory and Storage (FMS) 2024 from August 6–8. Previously known as Flash Memory Summit, the conference changed its name to reflect its broader focus on all types of memory and storage products amid growing interest in AI. Bringing together industry leaders, customers, and IT professionals, FMS 2024 covers the latest trends and innovations shaping the memory industry.

Participating in the event under the slogan “Memory, The Power of AI,” SK hynix is showcasing its outstanding memory capabilities through a keynote presentation, multiple technology sessions, and product exhibits.

Keynote Presentation: Envisioning the Future of AI With Leading Memory & Storage Solutions

Keynote presentations have always been a highlight at FMS. The talks act as an important forum for attendees to learn about emerging memory and storage technologies from industry leaders. Due to its leadership in the AI memory field, SK hynix was selected to give a keynote presentation titled “AI Memory and Storage Solution Leadership and Vision for the AI Era” at the newly expanded event.

Held on the first day of FMS 2024, the keynote was delivered by Vice President Unoh Kwon, head of HBM Process Integration (PI) and Vice President Chunsung Kim, head of SSD Program Management Office (PMO). The pair provided insights into the company’s DRAM and NAND flash solutions which aim to solve the pain points of generative AI and promote continued development of AI. These pain points include maximizing the efficiency of AI training and inference¹ while minimizing floor space and power utilization for storing data.

¹AI inference: The process of running live data through a trained AI model to make a prediction or solve a task.

Kwon and Kim delivering their keynote on SK hynix’s leading AI memory products

Each speaker covered a particular type of memory. Kwon touched on the company’s DRAM memory products that are optimized for AI systems such as HBM², CXL®³, and LPDDR5T⁴. Meanwhile, Kim introduced the company’s best-in-class NAND flash storage devices including its SSD and UFS⁵ solutions, which will continue to be crucial for AI applications in the future.

²High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value, high-performance product that revolutionizes data processing speeds by connecting multiple DRAM chips with through-silicon via (TSV).
³Compute Express Link^® (CXL^®): A PCIe-based next-generation interconnect protocol on which high-performance computing systems are based.
⁴Low Power Double Data Rate 5 Turbo (LPDDR5T): Low-power DRAM for mobile devices aimed at minimizing power consumption and featuring low voltage operation. LPDDR5T is an upgraded product of the LPDDR5X and will be succeeded by LPDDR6.
⁵Universal Flash Storage (UFS): A high-performance interface for computing and mobile systems which require low power consumption.

In addition to its keynote, SK hynix also held five sessions that took a deeper look into its next-generation products set to solidify the company’s AI technology leadership. These sessions covered a variety of topics, including the company’s DRAM, SSD, and CXL solutions.

Product Booth: Presenting the Industry’s Best AI Memory

SK hynix’s booth at FMS 2024 consists of four sections showcasing many of the products which featured in the company’s keynote and session talks. One of the booth’s highlights is the samples of the 12-layer HBM3E, the next-generation AI memory solution which is expected to be mass-produced in the third quarter of 2024. The company is also holding demonstrations of select products with its partners’ systems, highlighting its strong collaboration with various major tech companies.

The AI Memory and Storage section includes industry-leading solutions such as SK hynix’s HBM3E and eSSD portfolio

• AI Memory and Storage: Features SK hynix’s flagship AI memory products such as samples of its 12-layer HBM3E, which is set to be the same height as the previous 8-layer version under JEDEC⁶ standards. The section also includes GDDR6-AiM⁷, a product suitable for machine learning due to its computational capabilities and rapid processing speeds, and the ultra-low power LPDDR5T optimized for on-device AI. Storage solutions on display include the PCIe Gen5-based eSSD PS1010, which is ideal for AI, big data, and machine learning due to its rapid sequential read speed.

⁶Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC): A U.S.-based standardization body that is the global leader in developing open standards and publications for the microelectronics industry.
⁷Accelerator in Memory (AiM): A special-purpose hardware made using processing and computation chips.

At the NAND Tech, Mobile, and Automotive section, attendees can see products such as the company’s 321-layer NAND and ZUFS 4.0

• NAND Tech, Mobile, and Automotive: This section includes solutions such as the world’s highest 321-layer wafer technology as well as triple-level cell (TLC) and QLC NAND. Mobile technologies are also showcased including ZUFS⁸ 4.0, an industry-best NAND product optimized for on-device AI⁹ which boosts a smartphone’s operating system speed compared to standard UFS.

⁸Zoned Universal Flash Storage (ZUFS): A NAND flash product that improves efficiency of data management. It optimizes data transfer between an operating system and storage devices by storing data with similar characteristics in the same zone of the UFS.
⁸On-device AI: A technology that implements AI functions on the device itself, instead of going through computation by a physically separated server.

The AI PC and CMS 2.0 section features a demonstration of the company’s industry-leading SSD, PCB01

• AI PC and CMS 2.0: Attendees can see a system demonstration of the industry-best SSD PCB01, which is able to efficiently process large AI computing tasks when applied to on-device AI PCs. In addition, CMS¹⁰ 2.0, a next-generation memory solution that boasts equivalent data processing capabilities as a CPU, is applied to a vector database¹¹.

¹⁰Computational Memory Solution (CMS): A product that integrates computational functions into CXL memory.
¹¹Vector Database: A collection of data stored as mathematical representations, or vectors. As similar vectors are grouped together, vector databases can make low-latency inquiries, making them ideal for AI.

The OCS, Niagara, CMM section displays innovative solutions such as Niagara 2.0 and HMSDK

• OCS, Niagara, and CMM: This section features a demonstration of OCS¹² technology which enhances the data analysis and pooled memory solution Niagara 2.0¹³. It also includes a demonstration of CMM¹⁴– DDR5¹⁵, which expands system bandwidth by 50% and capacity by up to 100% compared to systems only equipped with DDR5.

¹²Object-based Computational Storage (OCS): A new computational storage platform for data analytics in high-performance computing. OCS has not only high scalability but also data-aware characteristics that enable it to perform analytics independently without help from compute nodes.
¹³Niagara 2.0: A solution that connects multiple CXL memories together to allow numerous hosts such as CPUs and GPUs to optimally share their capacity. This eliminates idle memory usage while reducing power consumption.
¹⁴CXL Memory Module (CMM): A new standardized interface that has an advantage in scalability and helps increase the efficiency of CPUs, GPUs, accelerators, and memory.
¹⁵Double Data Rate 5 (DDR5): A server DRAM that effectively handles the increasing demands of larger and more complex data workloads by offering enhanced bandwidth and power efficiency compared to the previous generation, DDR4.

Super Women Conference: Cherishing Diversity in the Memory & Storage Industry

Haesoon Oh delivers the keynote at the FMS Super Women Conference

SK hynix also co-sponsored the FMS Super Women Conference, an event held on the sidelines of FMS 2024 which celebrates the achievements of female leaders and promotes diversity in the memory industry. Head of NAND Advanced PI Haesoon Oh, the company’s first female executive-level research fellow, delivered a keynote address on the company’s next-generation innovations and the importance of understanding diversity.

Paving the Way Forward in the AI Era

At FMS 2024, SK hynix underlined its commitment to lead the industry by providing integrated AI memory solutions and expanding its expertise in the sector. Collaborating with other leading partners, the company will strive to provide customers with the best possible solutions that match their rapidly changing needs.

The post SK hynix Presents Extensive AI Memory Lineup at Expanded FMS 2024 first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

• Investment of more than 20 trillion won aimed at preemptively responding to soaring demand for HBM
• Plans to complete construction of new fab in November 2025 for early mass production
• Major investment to enhance AI memory market leadership, contribute to domestic economy
• To proceed with separate plan to invest 120 trillion won in Yongin Cluster to strengthen Korea’s status as a semiconductor powerhouse

SK hynix Inc. (or “the company”, www.skhynix.com) announced today that it plans to expand production capacity of the next-generation DRAM including HBM, a core component of the AI infrastructure, in response to the rapidly increasing demand for AI semiconductors.

As the board of directors approves the plan, the company will build the M15X fab in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, for a new DRAM production base, and invest about 5.3 trillion won for fab construction.

The company plans to start construction at the end of April with an aim to complete in November 2025 for an early mass production. With a gradual increase in equipment investment planned, the total investment in building the new production base will be more than 20 trillion won in the long-term.

As a global leader in AI memory, SK hynix expects the expansion in investment to contribute to revitalizing the domestic economy, while refreshing Korea’s reputation as a semiconductor powerhouse.

With the advent of the AI era, the semiconductor industry believes that the DRAM market has entered a mid- to long-term growth phase. Along with HBM, which is expected to grow more than 60% annually, the company forecasts that demand for general DRAM will be on a steady rise led by high-capacity DDR5 module products for servers.

As HBM requires at least twice as large capabilities to secure the same production as general DRAM products, SK hynix decided that increasing DRAM capabilities with a focus on HBM is a precondition for future growth.

The company plans to produce new DRAM from the M15X in Cheongju before the completion of the first fab in Yongin Semiconductor Cluster in the first half of 2027. Being located near the M15, which has been expanding TSV¹ capabilities, the M15X is the best conditioned for optimization of HBM production.

¹TSV (Through Silicon Via): An interconnect technology that links upper and lower chips with an electrode that vertically passes through the base logic chip and DRAM chips. There can be thousands of pass-through TSVs depending on the chip design

Birds Eye View of SK hynix’s New Fab M15X construction

Separately, SK hynix will proceed with other domestic investments including the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, where it will to inject approximately 120 trillion won, as planned.

The Yongin project is gaining speed with the process rate for groundwork marking 26%, which is 3% faster than the target. Major preparatory works including land compensation procedures and investigation of cultural properties have been completed, and construction of the infrastructure ranging from power and water to roads is also gaining speed. The company plans to start construction of the first fab in Yongin in March next year and complete it in May 2027.

For a broader SK Group, investment by SK hynix is a main pillar when it comes to overall domestic investments. Since incorporation into SK Group in 2012, SK hynix has invested an accumulated 46 trillion won since 2014 to build three new fabs — M14 in Icheon, M15 in Cheongju in 2018, and M16 in Icheon in 2021 – in Korea in accordance with its Future Vision initiative.

SK hynix expects that the investment for the M15X and Yongin Cluster to help advance Korea to a stronger AI semiconductor powerhouse, while providing a momentum to vitalize the local economy.

“With transformation into a key facility that supplies AI memories to the world, M15X will play a pivotal role as stepping stone connecting the company’s present and future,” said Kwak Noh-Jung, President and CEO of SK hynix. “We are confident that this investment will be a giant leap that goes beyond the private sector for contribution to the future of the broader domestic economy.”

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
Sooyeon Lee
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

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

The post SK hynix to Produce DRAM From M15X in Cheongju first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

• Starts supplying 16 GB mobile DRAM package to global smartphone makers
• LPDDR5T to be adopted in the latest smartphones along with MediaTek Dimensity 9300 mobile processor
• “Company to continue developing high-performance DRAM products to bring ‘On-Device AI’ technology to smartphones”

Seoul, November 13, 2023

SK hynix Inc. (or “the company”, www.skhynix.com) announced today that it has started supplying its customers with 16 gigabyte (GB) packages of Low Power Double Data Rate 5 Turbo (LPDDR5T)¹, the fastest mobile DRAM available today that can transfer 9.6 gigabits per second (Gbps).

¹LPDDR: Low power DRAM for mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, which aims to minimize power consumption and features low voltage operation. The latest specifications are for the 7th generation, succeeding the series that end with 1, 2, 3, 4, 4X, 5 and 5X. LPDDR5T is a newly developed version by SK hynix, and an upgraded product of the 7th generation (5X), prior to the development of the 8th generation LPDDR6.

Since the successful development of its LPDDR5T in January, SK hynix has been preparing to commercialize the product by conducting performance verification with global mobile application processor (AP)² manufacturers.

²Mobile AP: A semiconductor chip that serves as the ‘brain’ of mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets. It is also the central processing unit in a system-on-chip (SoC) format that contains a complete set of products and systems, including computation, graphics, digital signal processing, etc., in a single chip.

SK hynix explained that LPDDR5T is the optimal memory to maximize the performance of smartphones, with the highest speed ever achieved. The company also emphasized that it would continue to expand the application range of this product and lead the generation shift in the mobile DRAM sector.

The LPDDR5T 16 GB package operates in the ultra-low voltage range of 1.01 to 1.12V set by the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC), and can process 77 GB of data per second, which is equivalent to transferring 15 full high-definition (FHD) movies in one second.

The company recently started shipping its product to a global smartphone manufacturer, Vivo, which also announced that its latest smartphones, X100 and X100 Pro, will be equipped with SK hynix’s up-to-date memory packages.

These devices will also be packed with MediaTek’s newest flagship mobile AP ‘Dimensity 9300’. In August, SK hynix confirmed that it has completed the performance verification for application with MediaTek’s next-generation mobile APs.

“Smartphones are becoming essential devices for implementing On-Device AI³ technology as the AI era kicks into full swing,” said Myoungsoo Park, Vice President and Head of DRAM Marketing at SK hynix. “There is a growing demand for high-performing, high-capacity mobile DRAMs in the market.”

³On-Device AI: Artificial intelligence technology that implements AI capabilities on the device itself, instead of going through computation in a physically separated server. AI functions can become more responsive and provide more customized AI services as smart devices are capable of collecting and computing information on its own.

“We will continue to lead the premium DRAM market based on our technological leadership in AI memories, while staying in tune with market demands,” Park added.

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
Joori Roh
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

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

The post SK hynix Commercializes World’s Fastest Mobile DRAM LPDDR5T first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

• 9.6Gbps product verified to be compatible with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon mobile processor
• With validation with global major partners completed, SK hynix to provide LPDDR5T to global smartphone customers
• “SK hynix, Qualcomm to collaborate further to accelerate smartphones’ growth into key devices in AI era”

Seoul, October 25, 2023

SK hynix Inc. (or “the company”, www.skhynix.com) announced today that it has started commercialization of the LPDDR5T(Low Power Double Data Rate 5 Turbo)¹, the world’s fastest DRAM for mobile with 9.6Gbps speed.

The company said that it has obtained the validation that the LPDDR5T is compatible with Qualcomm Technologies’ new Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform, marking the industry’s first case for such product to be verified by the U.S. company.

¹LPDDR: Low power DRAM for mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, aimed at minimizing power consumption and that features low voltage operation. The latest specifications are for the 7th generation, succeeding the series that end with 1, 2, 3, 4, 4X, 5 and 5X. LPDDR5T is a newly developed version by SK hynix, and an upgraded product of the 7th generation (5X), prior to the development of the 8th generation LPDDR6.

SK hynix has proceeded with the compatibility validation of the LPDDR5T, following the completion of the development in January, with support from Qualcomm Technologies. The completion of the process means that it is compatible with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

With the validation process with Qualcomm Technologies, a leader in wireless telecommunication products and services, and other major mobile AP(Application Processor) providers successfully completed, SK hynix expects the range of the LPDDR5T adoption to grow rapidly.

The company plans to provide 16GB-capacity product, a combination of multiple single LPDDR5T chips, of which data processing speed is 77GB per second, equivalent to processing 15 Full-HD movies within a second.

The LPDDR5T product also holds an edge in power consumption, performing at the lowest voltage of the 1.01~1.12V standards stipulated by the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council, or JEDEC.

SK hynix applied the HKMG (High-K Metal Gate)² process to bring a remarkable improvement in both speed and power efficiency. With the adoption of this technology, the company expects the LPDDR5T to gain a large share of the market before the next-generation LPDDR6 is introduced.

²HKMG (High-K Metal Gate): A next-generation process that uses a material with a high dielectric constant (K) in the insulating film inside DRAM transistors to prevent leakage currents and to improve capacitance. It reduces power consumption, while increasing speed. SK hynix was the industry’s first to integrate the process in mobile DRAM in November.

“Generative AI applications running on our new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 enables exciting new use cases by executing LLMs and LVMs on device with minimal latency and at the lowest power,” said Ziad Asghar, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Our collaboration with SK hynix pairs the fastest mobile memory with our latest Snapdragon mobile platform and delivers amazing on-device, ultra-personalized AI experiences such as AI virtual assistants for smartphone users.”

“We are thrilled that we have met our customers’ needs for the ultra-high performance mobile DRAM with the provision of the LPDDR5T,” said Sungsoo Ryu, head of DRAM Product Planning at SK hynix.

Ryu said that smartphones are expected to grow their presence as the key devices where the AI technologies are fully applied onto in coming years. “I believe the smartphone functions, backed by excellent DRAM for mobile, should continue to improve. We will continue to work toward strengthening our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies to advance the technology in this space.”

Snapdragon is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated.
Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

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
Joori Roh
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

The post SK hynix’s LPDDR5T, World’s Fastest Mobile DRAM, Completes Compatibility Validation with Qualcomm first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.