The company is recognized for solidifying its leadership status by successfully passing HBM quality verification and reducing TTM² to the shortest possible period. These achievements were made possible thanks to the contribution of the HBM Product Engineering (PE) department. In particular, the department’s efforts for back-end tasks, including HBM product testing, customer certification, and providing solutions at the full system level, were crucial alongside its support for product development and commercialization.

To find out more, the SK hynix Newsroom caught up with Vice President Munphil Park, head of HBM PE, to discuss the department’s role and vision.

¹High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value, high-performance product that revolutionizes data processing speeds by connecting multiple DRAM chips with through-silicon via (TSV).
²Time to market (TTM): The length of time required to develop a product from initial conception to when it is released to the market and available for sale.

HBM Leadership Through Consolidated Back-End Capabilities & Close Customer Communication

Key roles of the HBM PE department

“HBM PE brings together teams responsible for back-end tasks such as product testing and customer certification,” he said. “By concentrating all resources in a single direction, we have increased operational efficiency and created a structure that enables immediate collaboration. This has enhanced our developmental competitiveness.”

SK hynix established the HBM Business division in 2024, consolidating its related capabilities and functions across the company to strengthen its HBM competitiveness. HBM PE, a department within HBM Business, has also enhanced its expertise by incorporating multiple teams. These include the Product Engineering team, which is responsible for quality control through testing and verification of HBM products; the Application Engineering team, which evaluates products at the system level; and the Project Management team, which leads collaboration between customers and the company for timely product development and commercialization.

Park emphasizes the importance of “timeliness” as the most crucial factor in maintaining HBM leadership, “It is essential to develop products, ensure their quality, and deliver them to customers on time” he said. “The HBM PE department is committed to not only maximizing quality competitiveness but also to enhancing productivity.”

“HBM can encounter various quality issues due to the large number of stacked chips,” he stated. “Additionally, since performance needs to be comprehensively verified under various conditions, such as in an SiP³ for GPUs, the testing process inevitably takes a long time. Therefore, it is crucial to quickly validate the product and establish a high-quality testing baseline.”

“HBM PE possesses the technical expertise to swiftly identify areas for improvement and secure mass-production capabilities. For example, we successfully enhanced HBM3E through internal validation procedures and passed customer tests without any issues.”

³System-in-package (SiP): A single package integrating multiple integrated circuits and components which is able to perform all or most of the functions of an electronic system.

Park emphasizes the importance of close client communication for HBM success

Listening to customer feedback to enhance HBM quality and coordinating the schedule for new product planning and development are key responsibilities of the HBM PE department. To support these efforts, Park operates a so-called “Open Lab” for major HBM customers. This lab serves as a communication hub, enabling swift responses to the tasks at hand.

“HBM PE assigns dedicated engineers to each customer, so we can maintain close client communication,” he revealed. “We also work closely with relevant internal departments to resolve issues. While we manage the back-end aspects of tasks during the product development phase, we take pride in our role as the “front-end” team from the perspective of the customer and market. This sense of pride unites all team members, who are committed and cohesive in their efforts.”

“One-Team Culture” Boosts Organizational Growth & Drives HBM Competitiveness

Internal collaboration has been key to HBM’s development, according to Park

After working in the DRAM Design department for around 15 years, Park moved into his role in DRAM PE in 2018. Having started with just four members, the department grew to become a 70-person team in just over five years. This expansion was thanks in part to Park’s efforts in integrating his DRAM design expertise into product engineering, which brought about significant innovation.

Park, who has been recognized with four SK Management System (SKMS) Practice Awards⁴, identified HBM as the most challenging product he has worked on.

⁴SK Management System (SKMS) Practice Award: An award established to identify outstanding performance in accordance with SKMS, with the aim of promoting the spirit of SUPEX (Super Excellence) and expanding it into the company’s overall management culture.

“I remember back in 2022, when we successfully resolved the challenging HBM3 customer certification issue. It was a critical time as the customer’s product launch was imminent, and the company was also responding to the industry downturn,” he recalled. “We worked around the clock, collaborating several times a day with relevant departments to solve the problems. We didn’t stop there though, as we also secured solutions that could be applied at the customer’s system level, significantly enhancing our response capabilities.”

The achievements in HBM PE have laid the foundation for increased HBM sales and improved company performance. Park emphasized that the key to this success lies in the “one-team” culture, which values collaboration.

“Our department is based on mutual respect and trust for each team’s work, ensuring that we transparently share current issues and actively present diverse opinions based on our individual experiences and expertise,” he said. “All members work together like the planets in the universe, rotating and orbiting in their optimal paths while contributing to the harmony of the entire planetary system. I am confident that this organic system will continue to thrive for a long time.”

Park received SK Group’s 2024 SUPEX Award for his contributions to HBM’s development

In recognition of his contributions to the success of HBM, Park was awarded SK Group’s SUPEX Award⁵ in June 2024 along with SK hynix’s core technology team.

⁵SUPEX Award: As the most prestigious award within SK Group that carries the meaning “super excellent,” it recognizes members who have successfully realized innovations by not being afraid to take on new challenges.

“What makes this award so special is that it recognizes the efforts and dedication of our employees,” Park stated. “I believe that by repeating this cycle of success, ‘pride’ will eventually become part of SK hynix’s DNA and will be embodied in the company’s strength.”

Pride in Being No.1 Is Key to Next-Gen HBM Success & Future Tech Capabilities

Park discusses the roadmap for the HBM PE department

Park’s next goal is to successfully commercialize the 12-layer HBM3E followed by HBM4, the sixth-generation of HBM. “We will continue to build strong technical collaboration and trust-based relationships so that customers can clearly understand the outstanding performance and competitiveness of our products based on objective data,” he said. “In particular, we will focus on securing future back-end technologies in preparation for the new HBM era.”

“HBM is expected to evolve into a diverse range of customized products tailored to individual customers,” Park stated. “As new product design methodologies are introduced, it is expected that there will also be a shift in testing paradigms. To prepare for these changes, HBM PE will expand the relevant infrastructure by building collaborative processes with various stakeholders, and work to identify and develop talented people in this field.”

Park called for employees to embrace the company’s leadership position

In closing, Park, as head of the HBM back-end department at the world’s top HBM provider, encouraged employees to have pride in being no. 1.

“SK hynix’s recent success is by no means an accident, but the result of efforts driven by a long-term vision,” he said. “We are the ‘protagonists’ pioneering the future at the forefront of the AI era. Let’s take pride in our no. 1 ranking and continue to prepare for an even greater future.”

The post SK hynix VP Munphil Park Aims to Strengthen AI Memory Leadership Through HBM Quality Verification, Customer Certification & Collaboration first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

As part of efforts to strengthen its competitiveness in the future AI infrastructure market, SK hynix created the AI Infra division and the affiliated HBM¹ Business department at the end of 2023. In a key appointment within HBM Business, Vice President Unoh Kwon became head of HBM Process Integration (PI).

While working as a DRAM development research fellow in 2022, Kwon broke new ground by becoming the first to apply the HKMG² process to the mobile DRAM LPDDR, and this led to the successful development of the ultra-high-speed and low-power LPDDR5X and LPDDR5T. In recognition of his contributions, Kwon was awarded the SUPEX Award³ in 2023.

¹High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value, high-performance product that revolutionizes data processing speeds by connecting multiple DRAM chips with through-silicon via (TSV). There are five generations of HBM, starting with the original HBM and followed by HBM2, HBM2E, HBM3, and the latest HBM3E—an extended version of HBM3. SK hynix is the first in the world to begin mass production of HBM3E.
²High-K metal gate (HKMG): A next-generation process that uses a material with a high dielectric constant (K) as an insulating film inside the DRAM transistor to prevent leakage current and improve capacitance. It enables faster speeds while reducing power consumption.
³SUPEX Award: As the most prestigious award within SK Group that carries the meaning “super excellent,” it recognizes members who have successfully realized innovations by not being afraid to take on new challenges.

With his strong technical background, Kwon has been tasked with finishing the future roadmap for the company’s HBM technology. As part of the newsroom’s series focusing on new executive members at SK hynix, Kwon spoke about his vision to develop the next generation of HBM technology and his strategies for the AI era.

Improving Development Efficiency Through HBM-Focused, Integrated HBM Business Department

Kwon anticipates the HBM Business department will bring greater efficiency while enhancing employees’ technical capabilities

With the continuous evolution of AI, demand has also rapidly increased for HBM—a representative memory product for the technology. “I feel a great sense of pride and responsibility to take on this role when there are high expectations for SK hynix’s HBM products,” said Kwon. “With the combined experience and challenging spirit of employees who developed the world’s best-performing HBM, we will do our best to achieve the next generation of technological innovations.”

In a move to improve the efficiency and synergy of HBM production from the development phase to the manufacturing and commercialization stages, SK hynix merged the various departments in charge of these processes into HBM Business. This rare, product-focused reorganization demonstrates the company’s commitment to maintaining its HBM leadership.

Kwon cites the HBM Business department’s high efficiency as its biggest strength. By shortening the decision-making process at the beginning of product development, members can quickly coordinate among themselves and execute projects. Furthermore, as the development team can hear feedback directly from customers, the team can reflect customer values during product development.

“Possessing the united goal of advancing HBM, our department has created an environment where we can focus on our technical capabilities and demonstrate them to the fullest,” Kwon stated. “Consequently, our members have been able to take a more goal-orientated view. What’s more, I can now also analyze what is needed for our technology to grow from a business perspective, and I plan to use this skill to contribute significantly to our efforts.”

Harnessing Unique Semiconductor Fundamental Technology to Revolutionize HBM

Kwon plans to use his previous experience in system semiconductors to advance HBM technology

When asked about the biggest achievement of his career, Kwon chose the application of the HKMG process to LPDDR in 2022. The HKMG process ranks as one of the most significant innovations in semiconductor fundamental technology⁴. Although it was applied early on in system semiconductors, HKMG was not easy to implement in mobile DRAM semiconductor memories where the leakage current needs to be controlled to minimize power consumption.

⁴Fundamental technology: A key technology used for implementing changes and improvements to product characteristics.

Using his past experience at a different global tech company where he successfully applied the HKMG process in system semiconductors, Kwon was once again able to break the technical barriers in mobile DRAM. “It meant a lot to be a part of collective efforts with SK hynix members to make the technological breakthrough of changing the paradigm of memory circuit structures,” Kwon exclaimed.

“As a product featuring advanced and complex technology, HBM can be said to be the most technologically intensive DRAM around,” he explained. “HBM is also the main reason I decided to take on the challenge of shifting my focus from system semiconductors to semiconductor memories.” Fascinated by HBM’s ability to spark the convergence of systems and memory, Kwon now plans to concentrate all his technical skills for another breakthrough.

“I expected that there would come a time when performance improvements would go beyond established scaling and reach technological advancements deriving from the convergence of structures, devices, and processes between system semiconductors and semiconductor memories,” Kwon said. “As I predicted that there would be new opportunities for innovation driven by semiconductor memories, I was convinced that HBM was the beginning of this technological revolution. That is why I am more committed than ever to leverage my experiences to create bigger synergies for SK hynix’s HBM technology.”

Confidently Taking on Unforeseen Challenges During the AI era

Kwon believes that adaptability and a challenging spirit will bring innovations in the AI era

Commenting on the outlook of the HBM market, Kwon said that “HBM will become specialized and customized to reflect the values sought by customers.” He stressed that in addition to excellent functional capabilities, the next generation of HBM will need to work as a specialty product differentiated for each customer and have a role that goes beyond memory.

“As we enter the AI era, we are witnessing an unprecedented level of rapid change,” Kwon said. “It is now more important than ever to stay ahead of the curve and react flexibly to changes. To maintain our technological leadership and to lead in the AI era, HBM PI is working hard to develop technologies which will lead to the innovation of fundamental technologies and rapid commercialization of products. We are also actively engaging and collaborating with customers and external partners.”

Kwon also emphasized the importance of not only adapting to changes but also of broadening one’s horizons and taking on challenges to achieve innovations.

“In the future, AI memory will go beyond its current focus on data centers to expand into areas that meet certain purposes. These include ASICs⁵ with improved performance and efficiency or on-device solutions that are optimized for customers’ products,” Kwon claimed. “HBM will not be the only AI memory in use as various types of DRAMs will also become essential memory for AI. Additionally, semiconductor devices will have to be developed to meet various required conditions including traditional characteristics. In a period of such drastic change, it is important to broaden our horizons to create essential synergies by fusing various technologies together, proactively challenge ourselves, and use our setbacks to get up and test ourselves again.”  

⁵Application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC): Also known as a custom semiconductor, an ASIC is an integrated circuit designed for a specific purpose.

In closing, Kwon encouraged SK hynix employees to take pride in leading important changes in the AI era.

“There have been many technological breakthroughs in history, but the changes brought on by AI are bigger and greater than ever,” he said. “SK hynix is driving these significant shifts with its industry-leading technological competitiveness. All of our members have an important role in the AI era, and I will continue to strengthen HBM’s capabilities with a great sense of pride and responsibility.”

<Other articles from this series>

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

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

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

New Leadership Spotlight: Vice President Hoyoung Son Targets SK hynix’s Evolution Into Total AI Memory Provider Through Advanced Packaging Tech

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

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

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

The post New Leadership Spotlight: Head of HBM PI Unoh Kwon Aims to Finish SK hynix’s HBM Roadmap & Lead in the AI Era first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.