Figure 1. SK hynix’s booth at Intel Innovation 2023

SK hynix announced on September 22 that it showcased its latest memory technologies and products at Intel Innovation 2023 held September 19–20 in the western U.S. city of San Jose, California.

Hosted by Intel since 2019, Intel Innovation is an annual IT exhibition which brings together the technology company’s customers and partners to share the latest developments in the industry. At this year’s event held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, SK hynix showcased its advanced semiconductor memory products which are essential in the generative AI era under the slogan “Pioneer Tomorrow With the Best.”

Figure 2. SK hynix’s cutting-edge CXL, HBM3, and DDR5 RDIMM products were on display

Products that garnered the most interest were HBM3¹, which supports the high-speed performance of AI accelerators, and DDR5 RDIMM, a DRAM module for servers with 1bnm process technology. As one of SK hynix’s core technologies, HBM3 has established the company as a trailblazer in AI memory. SK hynix plans to further strengthen its position in the market by mass-producing HBM3E (Extended) from 2024.

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

Meanwhile, DDR5 RDIMM with 1bnm, or the 5th generation of the 10nm process technology, also offers outstanding performance. In addition to supporting unprecedented transfer speeds of more than 6,400 megabits per second (Mbps), this low-power product helps customers simultaneously reduce costs and improve ESG performance.

Visitors to the SK hynix booth could also see its DDR5-based 96 gigabyte (GB) CXL² memory module products. The exhibit introduced the application cases of CXL such as with AI acceleration systems, and highlighted the benefits of the technology in terms of performance, reliability, security, and maintenance. Other products on display included LPDDR5X (Low Power Double Data Rate 5 eXtended) for mobile devices and DDR5 modules for servers and PCs.

²Compute Express Link (CXL): A next-generation interconnect protocol based on PCIe for efficiently building high-performance computing systems. It enables utilization of next-generation memory solutions that can be used in conjunction with existing DRAM products to increase the memory bandwidth of server systems and improve performance while easily expanding memory capacity.

Figure 3. Jinpyung Kim of DRAM Product Planning at SK hynix (left, first image) and Brian Yoon of DRAM Technology Planning at SK hynix America (right, first image) held a session on DDR5 and CXL technologies

Additionally, company employees held a session on how DDR5 and CXL memory can realize data-driven innovation. During the session, Jinpyung Kim of the DRAM Product Planning department at SK hynix and Brian Yoon from the DRAM Technology Planning department at SK hynix America discussed how DDR5 and CXL technologies are set to play a key role in the era of AI and big data.

“We will continue to showcase our advanced technologies to strengthen partnerships with our customers and further solidify our position as a global technology company that leads the way in various markets,” said Sungsoo Ryu, head of DRAM Product Planning at SK hynix.

The post SK hynix Presents Advanced Memory Technologies at Intel Innovation 2023 first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

• SK hynix and Intel co-published performance verification white paper on DDR5’s application to Intel CPUs for use in servers
• SK hynix’s DDR5 boosts server bandwidth by 70% while lowering power consumption by 14.4% compared to the product’s previous generation
• SK hynix plans to accelerate improvement in its second-half performance with its quality-certified DDR5

SK hynix announced on September 14th that it has co-published a white paper with Intel which reveals that its DDR5 server DRAM applied to Intel’s CPUs demonstrated industry-leading performance levels. This white paper was released simultaneously on the SK hynix and Intel websites.

The two companies have worked closely together since the beginning of DDR5’s development, and this white paper shows the results of performance evaluations of SK hynix’s DDR5 when applied to 4th Gen Intel^® Xeon^® Scalable processors¹ (hereinafter referred to as Xeon) that took place over the past eight months.

Released at a time when the server industry has called for low-power, high-performance semiconductors, the white paper highlights that SK hynix and Intel will usher in an era of more advanced data centers through memory and CPUs that deliver industry-leading performance and energy efficiency.

[Read the full white paper]

The white paper reveals that SK hynix’s DDR5 uses 14.4% less power than DDR4, while the 4th Gen Intel^® Xeon^® Scalable processors offer performance efficiency that is 2.9 times greater than the previous generation². In servers with Xeon, DDR5 achieved an improved performance per watt³ that was 1.22 times higher for integer computations and 1.11 times higher for floating point⁴ computations compared to DDR4.

Accordingly, the two companies expect the energy efficiency provided by DDR5 and Xeon to allow server chip customers to build more sustainable data centers. The operation of such cost-effective data centers is also expected to help customers save on the total cost of ownership (TCO)⁵.

“As revealed in the white paper, servers equipped with SK hynix’s DDR5 and Intel’s CPUs enable faster data processing speeds while consuming less power compared to the products’ previous generations. In particular, they can efficiently utilize high-density DRAMs required for processing vast amounts of data in applications such as generative AI,” said Sungsoo Ryu, head of DRAM Product Planning at SK hynix.

“We hope that our server chip customers will use the valuable information included in this white paper to drive their business forward,” he added.

Dr. Dimitrios Ziakas, Intel’s vice president of Memory and IO Technologies, said: “Intel has been collaborating with SK hynix and memory industry partners to enable high-performance DDR5 DRAM with 4th Gen Intel^® Xeon^® Scalable processors. These efforts ensure that we provide robust high-performance and energy-efficient data center system solutions to benefit our mutual customers.”

SK hynix will strengthen its offerings in the server market through collaborations, such as this latest project with Intel. By focusing on 1anm and 1bnm DDR5, the fourth and fifth generation of the 10nm process technology, respectively, SK hynix looks to increase its financial performance and presence in the server market as demand for server DRAMs is expected to rise in the second half of 2023.

[At a Glance] The Intel and SK hynix DDR5 Ecosystem White Paper (Read the full white paper)

• Bandwidth 70%↑⁶, Power Consumption 14.4%↓⁷, Integer Computations 1.59 times↑

The white paper details test data that server customers can use to guide their application of DDR5 in their servers. Highlights include the speed, performance, and power consumption that is attainable when combining DDR5 memory and Xeon.

Figure 1. Comparing the Server Bandwidth of SK hynix’s DDR4 and DDR5

Firstly, server bandwidth⁸ at the same operating speeds of 3,200 megabits per second (Mbps) increased by 20% with DDR5 compared with the previous generation, DDR4. Additionally, the server bandwidth at DDR5’s operating speed of 4,800 Mbps was 70% greater than it was at DDR4’s highest operating speed of 3,200 Mbps⁹. The overall expansion in the server bandwidth is due to the DDR5’s design improvements that minimized internal transfer latency of data and the securing of higher transfer speeds compared to DDR4.

Figure 2. Comparing Operating Speed and Power Consumption of SK hynix’s DDR4 and DDR5

Through the study, SK hynix was also able to confirm that DDR5’s power consumption was 14.4% less than DDR4 due in large part to new technologies such as High-K Metal Gate (HKMG). HKMG is a next-generation process that uses a High-K insulating film inside a DRAM transistor to prevent leakage current and improve its capacitance—the ability to store charge. Semiconductor memory products with HKMG therefore have a higher power efficiency.

Xeon’s built-in accelerators have also shown positive results in tests. Organizations can improve the average performance per watt efficiency for target workloads by up to 2.9 times utilizing the built-in accelerators compared to the previous generation of processors. The combination of these technologies enabled DDR5 and Xeon to achieve an excellent 50% increase in bandwidth and a 14.4% reduction in power usage.

The white paper also shows the computational performance of a system that combines DDR5 and Xeon. The companies used SPEC CPU 2017, a specialized benchmarking program, to compare performances.

Results from the comparison showed that integer computations were 1.59 times faster and floating point computations 1.43 times faster than the previous generation’s system. The performance per watt also saw its efficiency rise 1.22 times for integer computations and 1.11 times for floating point computations compared to the system’s predecessor.

The advanced system also performed well in the Intel Memory Latency Checker (MLC) test, a program that measures memory latency and speed. Compared to the previous generation, the read speed increased by 1.4 times and the read/write speed rose by 1.51 times.

Intel, the Intel logo, and other Intel marks are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries.

¹4th Gen Intel^® Xeon^® Scalable processors: These processors are Intel’s next generation of server CPUs that support PCIe Gen5 and next-generation DDR5 DRAM.

²2.9x average performance per watt efficiency improvement for targeted workloads utilizing built-in accelerators compared to the previous generation.
New Configuration: 1-node, 2x pre-production 4th Gen Intel^® Xeon^® Scalable Processor (60 cores) with integrated Intel In-Memory Analytics Accelerator (Intel IAA), on pre-production Intel platform and software, HT On, Turbo On, Total Memory 1024GB (16x64GB DDR5 4800), microcode 0x2b0000a1, 1×3.84TB P5510 NVMe, Intel^® Ethernet Controller X540-AT2, Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS, 5.18.12-051812-generic, QPL v0.2.1,accel-config-v3.4.6.4, ZSTD v1.5.2, RocksDB v6.4.6 (db_​bench), tested by Intel November 2022. Baseline: 1-node, 2x production 3rd Gen Intel^® Xeon^® Scalable Processors (40 cores) on SuperMicro SYS-220U-TNR, HT On, Turbo On, SNC Off, Total Memory 1024GB (16x64GB DDR4 3200), microcode 0xd000375, 1×3.84TB P5510 NVMe, Intel^® Ethernet Controller X540-AT2, Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS, 5.18.12-051812-generic, ZSTD v1.5.2, RocksDB v6.4.6 (db_​bench), tested by Intel November 2022.

³Performance per watt: An indicator of how much computation is performed per watt of power consumed.

⁴Floating point: A concept about real numbers where integers and decimals are represented separately by changing the position of the decimal point to facilitate computation, as opposed to a fixed point where the decimal point is fixed in its original position. For example, if the original real number is 123.485, it can be written in floating points as 1.23485X 10^2, or 0.00123485X10^5.

⁵Total cost of ownership (TCO): The total costs of an asset that includes such as the initial investment, power, facility operations, and maintenance.

⁶Result obtained during simulations by SK hynix performed in December 2022.

⁷Power consumption comparison of DDR4 and DDR5 based on simulations by SK hynix’s power calculator.

⁸Server Bandwidth: The pathway through which data travels. An increase in bandwidth enables more data to be processed more efficiently at once.

⁹Bandwidth comparison based on increase from DDR4’s 3,200 Mbps operating speed to DDR5’s 3,200 Mbps and 4,800 Mbps speeds.

The post SK hynix’s DDR5 Key to Enabling Industry-Leading Performing Data Centers, White Paper Reveals first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

• First to offer industry’s largest 24GB capacity; Begins supplying product to a global smartphone manufacturer
• Integrates HKMG process, enabling the product to deliver both ultra-low power consumption and high performance
• “Aims to lead premium DRAM market with a priority on meeting customers’ needs”

Seoul, August 11, 2023

SK hynix Inc. (or “the company”, www.skhynix.com) announced today that it has begun supplying the industry’s first 24-gigabyte (GB) Low Power Double Data Rate 5X (LPDDR5X¹) mobile DRAM package to its customers, following the mass production of LPDDR5X in November 2022.

¹ LPDDR: Low Power DRAM for mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, aimed at minimizing power consumption and features low voltage operation. LPDDR5X DRAM is the 7th generation product, succeeding the series of such that ends with 1, 2, 3, 4, 4X and 5. SK hynix, in January, developed LPDDR5T, which is an upgraded product of LPDDR5X prior to the development of the 8th generation LPDDR6, and is currently processing customer validation.

“The company integrated the High-K Metal Gate (HKMG²) process in the 24 GB LPDDR5X package, enabling the product to deliver outstanding power efficiency and performance,” said SK hynix. “The addition of the 24GB package to our mobile DRAM product portfolio has given us a more flexibility in accommodating customers’ needs.”

² HKMG: 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 had become the industry’s first to integrate the process in mobile DRAM in Nov. 2022.

The 24GB LPDDR5X 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 68GB of data per second, which is equivalent to transferring 13 FHD (Full-HD) movies in one second.

SK hynix, prior to today’s announcement, has begun supplying its new product to smartphone manufacturer OPPO since last month. OPPO’s latest flagship smartphone ‘Oneplus Ace 2 Pro’, which features SK hynix’s 24GB LPDDR5X package, was launched on August 10^th.

“With the timely supply of 24GB LPDDR5X from SK hynix, we were able to become the first to launch a smartphone that features the industry’s largest capacity DRAM,” said Louis Li, Vice President of Marketing at OPPO. “This new smartphone will allow the customers to enjoy optimized multi-tasking environment as well as extended battery life.”

Due to rapid performance improvement, the roles of modern smartphone have expanded beyond the communication device and into edge device³, and IT experts forecast the gadget to be essential in the AI era. In order to incorporate AI into smartphones, it is crucial to enhance the performance of semiconductor memory, which is the core component, and accordingly, the memory industry is projected to grow further.

³ Edge Device: A device that operates at the edge of a network – an edge-to-cloud continuum – that collects and transmits data to connect the local network to an external wide area network (i.e. cloud, data center), such as personal smart devices, vehicles and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

“Along with a faster advancement in broader IT industry, our LPDDR products will be able to support a growing list of applications such as PC, server, high-performance computing (HPC) and automotive vehicles,” said Myoungsoo Park, Vice President and Head of DRAM Marketing at SK hynix. “The company will cement our leadership in the premium memory market by providing the highest performance products that meet customers’ needs.”

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 Starts Mass Production of Industry’s First 24GB LPDDR5X DRAM first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

From breaking barriers for performance with HBM3 to developing the world’s fastest mobile DRAM, LPDDR5T, SK hynix’s product portfolio is full of industry-leading solutions which have pushed technological limits. But how exactly does the company realize this rapid evolution in its solutions? What innovations and processes are applied to these products to take them to the next level?

To shed light on these technologies, SK hynix Newsroom is launching its seven-part Tech Pathfinder series. The articles in the series will introduce some of the company’s most advanced products globally renowned for their unprecedented qualities including industry-leading processing speed, data storage, and computational capabilities. Through the series, readers will gain a better grasp of the concepts behind these innovative products and gradually become more familiar with the advancement of semiconductors and technology in general.

SK hynix’s Secret Behind Its DRAM Development

In November 2022, SK hynix released a mobile DRAM with the world’s lowest operating power of 1.01-1.12V and an operating speed of 8.5 Gbps—Low Power Double Data Rate 5X (LPDDR5X). The company then made another historic step in January 2023 with the development of its Low Power Double Data Rate 5 Turbo (LPDDR5T), the world’s fastest mobile DRAM which offers an operating speed of 9.6 Gbps.

▲ Figure 1. SK hynix’s LPDDR5 Lineup Made With the HKMG Process

Smartphone mobile DRAMs need to be small, low-power devices which provide fast processing speeds to perform more functions. However, as the industry reaches the limits of scaling¹, such mobile DRAM technology only becomes more complex. So, what is the secret in SK hynix’s technology that has allowed the company to remain a powerhouse in mobile DRAM development? The answer lies in the world’s first application of the High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) process to mobile DRAM. This article will summarize the principle of the HKMG process and how this technology was applied to the LPDDR5X and LPDDR5T.

¹Scaling: The reduction in size of semiconductors to produce better device performance, power efficiency, and cost.

HKMG Process: Key to the World’s Fastest Mobile DRAM With Lowest-Power Consumption

▲ Figure 2. SK hynix Applies HKMG Process to Develop the World’s Fastest Mobile DRAM

Although HKMG was commercialized over a decade ago, various challenges were encountered during the development of this groundbreaking technology. There were four major obstacles: the extreme complexity of the technology, the high-processing cost compared to conventional materials, unpredictable risks, and the difficulty in controlling electron leakage. More importantly, the whole HKMG process had never been applied to mobile DRAM before. Despite facing these issues, SK hynix took on the challenge of changing the paradigm of mobile DRAMs.

More specifically, applying the HKMG process to mobile DRAM peripheral (peri) transistors posed a major challenge. DRAMs typically consist of cell transistors which store data and peri transistors which conduct data input and output. It is therefore necessary to minimize the impact of the HKMG process on the cell as the connection between the cell and peri transistor can encounter problems when applying the HKMG process to the periphery.

Accordingly, the area of the peripheral circuit that powers the cell is also reduced as the cell scale is minimized. This leads to a shrinking of the transistors that supply the charge, which, consequently, reduces the thickness of the gate insulator. These insulators for conventional mobile DRAMs are generally made from silicon oxide (SiON), which suffers from speed limitations when it is thinned. SiON also faces an efficiency problem as, when the thickness of the insulator decreases, the amount of leakage current increases and this leads to a loss in power.

SK hynix’s solution to these issues was to apply High-K material to the insulation film as the material has a permittivity² that is about five times higher than conventional SiON insulation film. To put this into context, when the same voltage is applied, the High-K insulation film can keep five times more charge than a conventional SiON material with the same area and thickness. This means that the thickness and leakage current can be reduced by making the insulation film with High-K material.

²Permittivity: Degree of how many electrons can be stored inside a gate.

However, the combined use of polysilicon (poly-Si)—applied in existing gates—and High-K materials increased the gate’s resistance, so a higher voltage is required and electrons slow down. To combat this, the poly-Si gate was replaced with a metal gate. With the combination of a gate oxide that possesses a high permittivity and a metal electrode, SK hynix successfully created an integrated HKMG solution.

▲ Figure 3. Description of HKMG Technology

Pioneering the Application of the HKMG Process

In preparation for the development stage, SK hynix first set up a taskforce comprised of device and process experts in the development, research, and manufacturing fields. The taskforce, the first of its kind for a derivative product³, consisted of members of the and PE (Product Engineering) team. Having begun working together from the initial stages of the process development, the taskforce resolved issues such as reliability and quality risks. Their main goal was to develop an integrated solution incorporating HKMG technology to the existing process while minimizing costs by maintaining parts of the existing process as much as possible.

³Derivative product: A product that is derived from a core product. Core products, a kind of prototype in which existing technology and elements are applied, allow manufacturers to establish a leadership position in the related technology as they can be quickly developed. The resultant derivative products feature various capacity and performance modifications to meet market needs.

It was also necessary to develop a method for utilizing the characteristics of the HKMG process to both increase speed and reduce power usage. However, due to the limitations in the chip’s size, lowering the electrical capacity to reduce power was not possible. Consequently, it became necessary to create a design that would lower the voltage. To this end, innovative design ideas were produced which eventually led to low-power solutions. These solutions included using a power architecture that would lower the design’s internal power and lowering the gate level in sleep mode to significantly reduce power consumption.

SK hynix Rewrites the Rules With LPDDR5X and LPDDR5T

▲ Figure 4. SK hynix’s World-First Application of HKMG Process to Mobile DRAM Enables Ultra-High Speed & Ultimate Power Efficiency

While effectively controlling leakage current, LPDDR5X offers a 33% increase in speed (8.5 Gbps) and a 21% power usage reduction compared to the previous generation. This increase in energy efficiency ensured the product reached its environmental goal of carbon reduction as well as meeting target technological specifications. Skip forward two months and LPDDR5T was developed. Operating in the same ultra-low voltage range as LPDDR5X, it is 13% faster at 9.6 Gbps to make it the fastest mobile DRAM available today.

SK hynix’s mobile DRAM which applies the HKMG process has been praised for its world-class performance. The company is also promoting the establishment of a new specification for mobile DRAM at the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC). SK hynix’s next step is to actively leverage the experience gained from the successful development of the HKMG process to bring even greater innovation to the next generation of technologies and products. In other words, LPDDR5X and LPDDR5T are just the beginning.

<Other articles from this series>

[Tech Pathfinder] Small Size, Big Impact: Unveiling the Latest Advances in Semiconductor Packaging and Miniaturization

The post [Tech Pathfinder] HKMG Opens the Door to Leading Mobile DRAM LPDDR5X & LPDDR5T first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

▲SK hynix’s recently released ultra-low voltage LPDDR5X

SK hynix has developed LPDDR5X (Low Power Double Data Rate 5X), the world’s first-ever mobile DRAM with an integrated HKMG (High-K Metal Gate)* process, which was just recently introduced to the market.

*HKMG: 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.

The LPDDR5X boasts the industry’s highest energy-efficiency as SK hynix succeeded in reducing power consumption by 25% compared to the previous generation and operates in the ultra-low voltage range of 1.01V to 1.12V set by the JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council).

For the LPDDR, which is also called a mobile DRAM, having a low power consumption is its greatest asset, just as its standard name—LP (Low Power)—suggests. As power is limited in mobile devices, it’s necessary to reduce power consumption as much as possible to extend the usage time.

This is why lowering power consumption is just as important as increasing operating speed. LPDDR5X was the first among mobile DRAMs to integrate the HKMG process and see improved performance and a reduction in power consumption, essentially killing two birds with one stone.

As the power consumption of DRAM gets lowered by LPDDR5X, mobile devices can be used for a longer time with a single charge. The reduction in power consumption of such products can subsequently lead to a reduction in the power used by consumers, which is in line with the value of SK hynix’s ESG-centered business management.

Additionally, the current LPDDR5X has an operating speed of 8.5Gbps, 33% faster than the previous generation.

The industry is taking heed that SK hynix introduced the world’s first-ever LPDDR with an integrated HKMG process. The newsroom team sat down with Lee Jae Hyuk (Mobile & Auto Planning), Nam KiBong (Function Device), Cho Sung Kwon (Canopus LPD5 PE), Kim Hyun Seung (Design Quality Innovation), and Lee Wook Jae (MCP/ MO Enablement)—the people behind the successful development of LPDDR5X—to hear the story behind the development process and their unflagging commitment to its launch.

▲SK hynix’s timeline towards developing the world’s first-ever and finest LPDDR, which led to increased operating speeds and lowered power consumption

LPDDR (Low Power Double Data Rate), also known as mobile DRAM, is mainly used in wireless electronic devices including smartphones, laptops, and tablets. LPDDR is smaller and requires less power compared to other DRAM products, reducing the devices’ size and weight as well as extending usage time. The increase in demand for mobile devices, including smartphones, was a critical factor in LPDDR’s rapid development. The recent spotlight on the environment also boosted interest in LPDDR, which requires less power.

▲ LPDDR5X, which is 33% faster than LPDDR5, can download thirteen 5GB movies in 1 second

SK hynix continuously developed LPDDR without missing out on these market trends. The company mass-produced the 18GB LPDDR5, currently the industry’s largest capacity, in 2021 and followed up with the industry’s fastest LPDDR5X (4266MHZ/8.5Gbps) a year later, cementing its leadership in memory semiconductors. SK hynix then went a step further, developing an LPDDR that is 33% faster than the previous generation and allows users to download more than thirteen 5GB videos in one second. The newsroom team went behind-the-scenes to discover how the teams involved developed the industry’s best performing LPDDR5X.

▲ The team members behind the successful development of LPDDR5X smile as they reminisce about making a breakthrough together

How the world’s fastest LPDDR5X was developed

The process also requires countless people’s efforts at the planning, design, production, and sales stages. Lee Jae Hyuk, responsible for product planning during the planning stage of the LPDDR5X development, recalled the planning period as follows:

▲ Lee Jae Hyuk, Technical Leader at Mobile & Auto Planning, smiles as he explains the LPDDR5X planning process

“Planning for a new product usually begins several years in advance. When planning LPDDR5X, it was not easy to meet the 8.5Gbps specification. Various internal departments had differing opinions on how to meet this specification, but we had confidence in our capabilities and successfully completed the development of the industry’s fastest LPDDR5X on time.”

Although the interviewees and their teams can laugh about it now, they had plenty of hurdles to overcome during LPDDR5X development process. Kim Hyunseung, who was responsible for product design, recalled, “There were several challenges during the technology’s development. “How can we increase the speed further?” “How can we reduce the power required further?” It was a continuous and daily series of thoughts and meetings.”

▲ Kim Hyunseung, Technical Leader at Design Quality Innovation, explains how LPDDR5X was successfully developed

Kim Hyunseung explained how the team was able to develop LPDDR5X despite the difficulties: “The development process of LPDDR5X was somewhat unrestrictive. Typically, derivative products such as LPDDRs do not significantly modify existing circuits. However, this time, we were able to freely modify the circuit and adopt new technologies during the design process. I think this unrestrictive atmosphere and the spirit of challenge to introduce new technologies played a big part in the development’s success.”

Looking back at the LPDDR5X development process, a faster operating speed was not the teams’ only concern. Currently, LPDDR is mainly used in the smartphone market, where new products are released at regular intervals, or in other words has a short time-to-market. This meant that the successful development of LPDDR5X had to align with the market’s timetable.

Cho Sung Kwon, in charge of PE (Product Engineering), admitted that he and his team felt enormous pressure. Providing products to the market in time for the development of new smartphone releases is crucial in securing competitiveness, adding to his team’s sense of responsibility. “We are pleased to have developed the LPDDR5X within a limited time frame. Especially in terms of mass production capabilities, I feel prouder of this than any other product I have worked on so far.”

▲ Cho Sung Kwon, Project Leader at Canopus LPD5 PE (second from the right) explains the pressure he felt during the development process

During the testing process, there were moments when the team faced unexpected difficulties and concerns. “Various issues arose during the process of developing LPDDR5X. For each issue, relevant departments collaborated to identify and analyze them and developed alternatives. I credit the successful development to my colleagues’ active responses,” said Nam KiBong, who oversaw PI (Process Integration), which designed numerous process flows in semiconductor production.

A more environmentally friendly LPDDR5X in line with ESG values

SK hynix’s success in developing LPDDR5X does not end with simply developing a faster DRAM. The product operates in the ultra-low voltage range of 1.01 to 1.12V set by JEDEC*, thus reducing power consumption by 25% compared to existing products.

*JEDEC: Joint Electron Device Engineering Council, an organization that sets semiconductor standards.

LPDDR5X’s development process also incorporated ESG management efforts. Lee Jae Hyuk said, “Our work involves not only increasing the usage time of mobile devices, but also reducing power consumption more dramatically by taking the ESG aspect into account as well. Thanks to this, we expect to reduce power consumption by more than 25% compared to the previous generation.”

▲ Lee Wook Jae, Project Leader at MCP/ MO Enablement, explains LPDDR5X’s power consumption reduction

Lee Wook Jae added, “The usage time of a smartphone with LPDDR5X will be longer than that of older-generation smartphones. This is great for consumers, as they can use their phones for longer periods of time on a single charge. It reduces the frequency of charging, which ultimately uses less electricity and leads to carbon savings.”

During the interview, it was suggested that SK hynix must be more active in strengthening ESG management by implementing ESG values. Lee Jae Hyuk said, “For product development, I think that ESG values can be achieved in the actual development stage only when ESG factors are properly implemented in the planning stage.”

Cho Sung Kwon added, “We reduced the testing time further as we tested the products during the development process, and at the design stage, we designed our products to operate with the lowest possible power consumption. We are working together to incorporate ESG values as a whole in all stages of planning, design, and development.”

Building a better SK hynix with a sense of challenge

The development of LPDDR5X, which boasts improved speeds at lower power consumption, would have been impossible without the efforts of SK hynix employees. “We achieved a power consumption reduction of more than 20% for LPDDR5X, and we are proud that we are receiving a lot of positive feedback from our customers,” Lee Wook Jae, who conducts marketing, said as he reported that customers such as SoC companies are complimenting on the product.

▲ Nam KiBong, Technical Leader at Function Device, (center) talks about SK hynix’s positive future

The SK hynix employees are even more optimistic about new semiconductors that will be developed moving forward, and are confident that they can develop faster and more powerful semiconductors. “This is what I know having worked at SK hynix so far. At the beginning of the development process, I kept asking myself, “Why is this so challenging?” However, at the end of the day, once we passed through a few hurdles, things were a lot smoother, and we overcame other challenges. After the LPDDR5X’s successful development we expect to progress into developing higher performance semiconductors,” said Nam KiBong, hinting at his great expectations for the new semiconductors to be developed in the future.

Meanwhile, Kim Hyunseung specifically called for other SK hynix employees to cultivate this sense of challenge. “I have a story I want to tell my colleagues coming after me. As our company boasts a world-class semiconductor ecosystem, I hope that we as SK hynix employees will set high goals with a sense of challenge. It is vital to come up with many ideas in various areas and constantly challenge ourselves. I am confident that if we keep trying new things, we will be able to develop innovative semiconductors.”

The post Going Beyond the Imagination: Meet the Team Behind the Development of the Fastest LPDDR5X first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.