Figure 1. SK hynix’s exhibition booth at the conference

Showcasing the Industry’s Highest Standard of AI Memory

The AI revolution has continued to pick up pace as AI technologies spread their reach into various industries. In response, SK hynix is developing AI memory solutions capable of handling the vast amounts of data and processing power required by AI. At GTC 2024, the company is displaying some of these products, including its 12-layer HBM3E and Compute Express Link (CXL)¹, under the slogan “Memory, The Power of AI”.

¹Compute Express Link (CXL): A PCIe-based next-generation interconnect protocol on which high-performance computing systems are based.

Figure 2. HBM3E, the highest-specification DRAM for AI applications

HBM3E, the fifth generation of HBM², is the highest-specification DRAM for AI applications on the market. It offers the industry’s highest capacity of 36 gigabytes (GB), a processing speed of 1.18 terabytes (TB) per second, and exceptional heat dissipation, making it particularly suitable for AI systems. On March 19, SK hynix announced it had become the first in the industry to mass-produce HBM3E.

²High 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).

Figure 3. CXL and GDDR7 are set to become key components of AI systems

Displayed alongside HBM3E is CXL, a standardized interface that increases the efficiency of utilizing CPUs, GPUs, accelerators, and memory. CXL is renowned for its ability to expand memory and improve the performance of AI applications. It is therefore set to play a key role in the AI era along with HBM3E. Visitors to SK hynix’s booth can also check out some never-before-seen products, including the next-generation GDDR7 DRAM specialized for video and graphics processing. Compared to its predecessor GDDR6, the latest GDDR³ product offers double the maximum bandwidth (128 GB per second), a 40% improvement in power efficiency, and enhanced visuals due to its expanded memory density. Set to be used in graphics cards and GPUs, GDDR7 will be integral for AI and advanced technologies which require rapid and large-capacity data processing.

³Graphics DDR (GDDR): A standard specification of graphics DRAM defined by the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) and specialized for processing graphics more quickly. Its generation shifted from GDDR3, GDDR5 and GDDR5X to GDDR6. It’s now one of the most popular memory chips for AI and big data applications.

Figure 4. A PCB01-based consumer SSD customized for AI

SK hynix also revealed a new consumer product based on its industry-leading Gen 5 solid-state drive (SSD), PCB01. SK hynix plans to complete development of PCB01 in the first half of 2024 and launch two versions which target large technology companies and general consumers by the end of the year.

Technological Insights, Leadership & Collaboration in the AI Era

Figure 5. Technical Leader Seoyeong Jeong talks about the outlook of the HBM market

During the conference, SK hynix also hosted sessions on key AI memory technologies. These included a presentation by Technical Leader Seoyeong Jeong of HBM Marketing which covered the market outlook for HBM and emphasized the importance of memory solutions in the AI era.

Through its activities at GTC 2024, SK hynix underlined its leadership in the AI memory sector. Looking ahead, the company will continue to realize technological breakthroughs and advance AI technology.

The post NVIDIA GTC 2024: SK hynix Presents the Future of AI Memory Solutions first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

• • SK hynix will develop PCB01, a PCIe Gen 5 SSD, in the first half of 2024 and launch the product this year
  • The company also presented the industry’s first volume-produced 12-layer HBM3E at GTC 2024
  • PCB01 strengthens SK hynix’s status as the world’s No. 1 AI memory provider in on-device AI as well as HBM

Figure 1. PCB01, SK hynix’s PCIe Gen 5 SSD, is optimized for PC original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)

SK hynix unveiled a new consumer product based on its latest solid-state drive (SSD), PCB01, which boasts industry-leading performance levels at GPU Technology Conference (GTC) 2024. Hosted by NVIDIA in San Jose, California from March 18–21, GTC is one of the world’s leading conferences for AI developers.

Applied to on-device AI¹ PCs, PCB01 is a PCIe² fifth-generation SSD which recently had its performance and reliability verified by a major global customer. After completing product development in the first half of 2024, SK hynix plans to launch two versions of PCB01 by the end of the year which target both major technology companies and general consumers.

¹On-device AI: The performance of AI computation and inference directly within devices such as smartphones or PCs, unlike cloud-based AI services that require a remote cloud server.
²Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe): A high-speed input/output interface with a serialization format used on the motherboard of digital devices.

Optimized for AI PCs, Capable of Loading LLMs Within One Second

Offering the industry’s highest sequential read speed of 14 gigabytes per second (GB/s) and a sequential write speed of 12 GB/s, PCB01 doubles the speed specifications of its previous generation. This enables the loading of LLMs³ required for AI learning and inference in less than one second.

³Large language model (LLM): As language models trained on vast amounts of data, LLMs are essential for performing generative AI tasks as they create, summarize, and translate texts.

To make on-device AIs operational, PC manufacturers create a structure that stores an LLM in the PC’s internal storage and quickly transfers the data to DRAMs for AI tasks. In this process, the PCB01 inside the PC efficiently supports the loading of LLMs. SK hynix expects these characteristics of its latest SSD to greatly increase the speed and quality of on-device AIs.

Figure 2. SK hynix’s PCIe Gen 5 SSD PCB01 is optimized for PC OEMs

PCB01 also offers a 30% improvement in power efficiency compared to its previous generation so it can effectively manage power from large-scale AI computations. In addition, SK hynix has applied single-level cell (SLC)⁴ caching technology to the product which enables some of the cells—the storage areas of NAND—to operate as SLCs with fast processing speeds. The technology allows selected data to be quickly read and written, speeding up the operation of AI services and general PC operations.

⁴Single-level cell (SLC): A type of memory cell used in NAND flash that stores one bit of data in a single cell. As the amount of data stored increases, the memory cell becomes a multi-level cell (MLC), a triple-level cell (TLC), and so on. Even though more data can be stored in the same area, the speed and stability decreases. SLC speeds up the processing of selected data.

Jae-yeun Yun, head of NAND Product Planning and Enablement at SK hynix, stated: “PCB01 will not only be highlighted for its use in AI PCs, but this high-performing product will also receive significant attention in the gaming and high-end PC markets,” he said. “Our much-anticipated product will allow us to solidify our position as the global no.1 AI memory provider not only in the HBM field but also in the on-device AI area.”

Figure 3. The PCB01-based product on display at GTC 2024

Alongside its PCB01-based product, SK hynix also introduced its next-generation flagship technologies and solutions at GTC 2024 including its 36 GB 12-layer HBM3E, CXL⁵, and GDDR7⁶. The display of HBM3E, the industry’s first fifth-generation HBM solution, follows the company’s announcement that it has begun volume production of the product. In addition, GDDR7 attracted much attention for doubling its bandwidth and improving its power efficiency by 40% compared to its predecessor GDDR6.

⁵Compute Express Link (CXL): An integrated interface that connects multiple devices such as memory, CPUs, GPUs, and accelerators all at once.
⁶GDDR7: The 7th generation of graphics memory that supports GPUs to work faster and more efficiently.

On top of presenting its world-class portfolio, SK hynix also held presentation sessions at GTC 2024. Technical Leader Seoyeong Jeong of HBM Marketing gave a talk titled “The Outlook of the HBM Market” where she shared insights on the importance of AI memory and its core technologies.

The post SK hynix Unveils Highest-Performing SSD for AI PCs at NVIDIA GTC 2024 first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.