• New SSD delivers 2x performance, over 30% greater power efficiency than previous generation by applying 5th-generation PCIe
• Mass production to begin in 2Q next year following customer qualification
• SK hynix to enhance data center SSD portfolio to meet diverse customer needs
• Company to consolidate position as No. 1 global AI memory provider in NAND solutions such as SSDs following success with HBM

Seoul, September 11, 2024

SK hynix Inc. (or “the company”, www.skhynix.com) announced today that it has developed PEB110 E1.S (PEB110), a high-performance solid-state drive (SSD) for data centers.

With the advent of the AI era, customer demand for high-performance NAND solutions such as SSDs for data centers, as well as ultra-fast DRAM chips including high bandwidth memory (HBM), is growing. In line with this trend, the company has developed and introduced a new product with improved data processing speed and power efficiency by applying the fifth-generation (Gen5) PCIe¹ specifications.

SK hynix expects to meet diverse customer needs with a more robust SSD portfolio following successful mass production of PS1010² with the introduction of PEB110.

¹Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCle): A serial-structured, high-speed input/output interface used on the motherboard of digital devices.
²PS1010: A data center/server-oriented SSD with ultra-high performance and high capacity that is based on PCIe Gen5 E3.S and U.2/3.

The company is currently in the qualification process with a global data center customer and plans to begin mass production of the product in the second quarter of next year, pending qualification.

PCle Gen5, applied to the new product, provides twice the bandwidth of the fourth generation (Gen4), enabling PEB110 to achieve data transfer rates of up to 32 gigatransfers per second (GT/s). This enables PEB110 to double the performance of the previous generation and improve power efficiency by more than 30%.

SK hynix has also applied the security protocol and data model technology, or SPDM, to PEB110, for the first time for its data-center SSDs to significantly enhance information security features.

SPDM, a key security solution specialized in protecting server systems, offers secure authentication and monitoring of servers. With the recent increase in cyberattacks on data centers, the company expects that PEB110 with SPDM will meet the high information security needs of customers.

The product will be released in three capacity versions—2 terabyte (TB), 4 TB, and 8 TB—and supports the OCP³ version 2.5 specifications for greater compatibility across global data centers.

³Open Compute Project (OCP): An international council of leading data center companies from around the world discussing standards for hardware, software, and eSSDs to build ultra-efficient data centers.

“The new product builds on the company’s best-in-class 238-high 4D NAND, boasting the most competitive standards in the industry in terms of cost, performance and quality,” said Ahn Hyun, Head of the N-S Committee at SK hynix.

“Looking ahead, we are on track to proceed with customer qualification and volume production to solidify our position as the No. 1 global AI memory provider in the ever-growing SSD market for data centers,” said Ahn.

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 PEB110 E1.S for Data Centers first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

SK hynix’s executive team just got younger. As part of efforts to foster young leadership, Lee Donghun was appointed to the N-S Committee¹ at the end of 2023 to become SK hynix’s youngest-ever executive.

¹N-S Committee: SK hynix’s strategic unit formed at the beginning of 2024 that fortifies its NAND flash and solution businesses.

Born in 1983, Lee is a young talent who finished his master’s and doctoral studies after participating in SK hynix’s scholarship program in 2006. He joined the company in 2011 and played a key role in the development and evolution of 4D NAND. Lee led the Technological Strategy team for the 128- and 176-layer NAND flash before working as the head of the Performance and Reliability (PnR) team for the 238-layer NAND flash, contributing significantly to establishing SK hynix’s 4D NAND as the industry standard.

As part of the newsroom’s interview series with newly appointed executives, Lee spoke about the future of NAND flash development and his aspirations as a leader.

Flexibility is Crucial in Times of Change

Lee anticipates reaching new heights in NAND flash technology by adopting a flexible approach

Lee emphasized the importance of rapid and flexible responses to the rapidly changing technological landscape following the advent of the AI era.

“Advances in technology are rapidly changing people’s lives, so responding to these changes will be critical for companies’ future,” he said. “A good comparison is the emergence and subsequent impact of the internet and smartphones.”

The N-S Committee is an example of SK hynix’s response to lead this changed business environment. As generative AI and other applications need to store ever-growing amounts of data, NAND flash requires assistance from NAND solutions. Accordingly, the N-S Committee will act as a control tower to optimize the NAND flash and NAND solution businesses simultaneously and strengthen the company’s competitiveness by increasing development efficiency and customer satisfaction.

“In order to respond flexibly when new technologies emerge, all related divisions need to constantly share information and collaborate,” Lee said. “Consequently, collaboration between the NAND flash and NAND solutions developments is not optional but necessary if we want to speed up the process of developing products desired by our customers. As a new executive, I plan to make such collaborations even more efficient.”

Beyond 4D NAND: The NAND Flash Revolution in the AI Era

Lee believes that further development in NAND flash technology holds the key to leading the AI era

Lee expressed his excitement about working on the world’s highest 321-layer 4D NAND to ensure the product’s performance, reliability, and quality.

“The 321-layer 4D NAND we’re developing is set to be a new milestone in the industry with its superior performance, and that’s why our role is so important,” Lee said. “For this product, it’s not just about performance, it’s also about ensuring reliability. If we focus only on rapidly increasing demand, there are potential risks to quality and reliability. Our short-term goal is to finish development and deliver products as quickly as possible while minimizing risks.”

Lee stressed that, in the long run, the company needs to continue innovating by taking on new challenges.

“Until now, the key to NAND flash development has been to improve cost-effectiveness,” he said. “That’s why we’ve seen 2D and 3D NAND in the past, followed by 4D NAND. Now that we’re in the midst of a transformation, NAND needs to innovate in multiple directions.”

Lee also emphasized the need to focus on the data explosion expected across various fields.

“As the number of sectors utilizing AI technology expands, there will also be an increase in data generation,” Lee explained. “In the automotive space alone, data related to roads and traffic for autonomous driving is rapidly growing. Depending on the type of device or environment which generates data, the standards and conditions required from NAND flash products may evolve drastically. It will be my job to anticipate these changes in the industry and lead proactive innovations, ensuring SK hynix continues its technological leadership.”

Building Empathy With Employees Pivotal in Overcoming Challenges

Lee sees team effort as the answer to overcoming unexpected challenges

Lee also sees tailwinds blowing in the semiconductor industry today as he predicts that NAND flash, like DRAM, will go on an upward direction in 2024. However, he predicted that there will be vast innovations in various technological fields that will create more challenges for SK hynix employees.

“In the midst of so many challenges, it is important that our members understand why we need to overcome these obstacles while finding the right motivation to continue progressing,” he said. “At the end of the day, the company and its people need to be on the same page to achieve a common goal.”

Even in his New Year’s greeting to his team members, Lee emphasized the need to pay attention to pivotal changes in the technological space and flexibly respond to situations.

“The semiconductor memory market is on the upswing in 2024, and I think we can greet this upturn with a smile as we faced a lot of adversity. However, there are still challenges ahead,” Lee explained. “Especially as we are expecting the launch of next-generation NAND flash products this year, I will do my best to help the company navigate this period of drastic transformation. We hope to accomplish various goals in 2024.”

<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: 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: Head of HBM PI Unoh Kwon Aims to Finish SK hynix’s HBM Roadmap & Lead in the AI Era

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: SK hynix’s Youngest Exec, Lee Donghun, Discusses Spearheading NAND Flash Development first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.