• SK hynix to showcase technological capabilities, participating in the world’s largest consumer electronics show, CES 2025, from January 7-10
• Featuring a wide range of products driving the AI era, from HBM, the core of AI infrastructure, to next-gen memories like PIM
• Company to present new possibilities in the AI era through technological innovation and provide irreplaceable value

Seoul, January 3, 2025

SK hynix Inc. (or “the company”, www.skhynix.com) announced today that it will showcase its innovative AI memory technologies at CES 2025, to be held in Las Vegas from January 7 to 10 (local time).

A large number of C-level executives, including CEO Kwak Noh-Jung, CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) Justin Kim and Chief Development Officer (CDO) Ahn Hyun, will attend the event. “We will broadly introduce solutions optimized for on-device AI and next-generation AI memories, as well as representative AI memory products such as HBM and eSSD at this CES,” said Justin Kim. “Through this, we will publicize our technological competitiveness to prepare for the future as a ‘Full Stack AI Memory Provider¹’.”

¹Full Stack AI Memory Provider: Refers to an all-round AI memory provider, which provides comprehensive AI-related memory products and technologies

SK hynix will also run a joint exhibition booth with SK Telecom, SKC and SK Enmove, under the theme “Innovative AI, Sustainable Tomorrow.” The booth will showcase how SK Group’s AI infrastructure and services are transforming the world, represented in waves of light.

SK hynix, which is the world’s first to produce 12-layer HBM products for 5th generation and supply them to customers, will showcase samples of HBM3E 16-layer products, which were officially developed in November last year. This product uses the advanced MR-MUF process to achieve the industry’s highest 16-layer configuration while controlling chip warpage and maximizing heat dissipation performance.

In addition, the company will display high-capacity, high-performance enterprise SSD products, including the ‘D5-P5336’ 122TB model developed by its subsidiary Solidigm in November last year. This product, with the largest existing capacity, high power and space efficiency, has been attracting considerable interest from AI data center customers.

“As SK hynix succeeded in developing QLC²(Quadruple Level Cell)-based 61TB products in December, we expect to maximize synergy based on a balanced portfolio between the two companies in the high-capacity eSSD market” said Ahn Hyun, CDO at SK hynix. The company will also showcase on-device AI products such as ‘LPCAMM2³’ and ‘ZUFS 4.0⁴,’ which improve data processing speed and power efficiency to implement AI in edge devices like PCs and smartphones. The company will also present CXL and PIM (Processing in Memory) technologies, along with modularized versions, CMM(CXL Memory Module)-Ax and AiMX⁵, designed to be core infrastructures for next-generation data centers.

²QLC: NAND flash is divided into SLC (Single Level Cell), MLC (Multi Level Cell), TLC (Triple Level Cell), QLC (Quadruple Level Cell), and PLC (Penta Level Cell) depending on how much information is stored in one cell. As the amount of information stored increases, more data can be stored in the same area.
³Low Power Compression Attached Memory Module 2 (LPCAMM2): LPDDR5X-based module solution that provides power efficiency and high performance as well as space savings. It has the performance effect of replacing two existing DDR5 SODIMMs with one LPCAMM2.
⁴Zoned Universal Flash Storage (ZUFS): A NAND Flash product that improves efficiency of data management. The product optimizes data transfer between an operating system and storage devices by storing data with similar characteristics in the same zone of the UFS, a flash memory product for various electronic devices such as digital camera and mobile phone.
⁵Accelerator-in-Memory based Accelerator (AiMX): SK hynix’s accelerator card product that specializes in large language models using GDDR6-AiM chips

In particular, CMM-Ax is a groundbreaking product that adds computational functionality to CXL’s advantage of expanding high-capacity memory, contributing to improving performance and energy efficiency of the next-generation server platforms⁶.

⁶Platform: Refers to a computing system that integrates both hardware and software technologies. It includes all key components necessary for computing, such as the CPU and memory.

“The changes in the world triggered by AI are expected to accelerate further this year, and SK hynix will produce 6^th generation HBM (HBM4) in the second half of this year to lead the customized HBM market to meet the diverse needs of customers,” said Kwak Noh-Jung, CEO at SK hynix. “We will continue to do our best to present new possibilities in the AI era through technological innovation and provide irreplaceable value to our customers.”

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 Luxemburg 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

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SK hynix has embarked on a 41-year journey to become a leader in HBM and AI memory

The Rise of SK hynix & Its HBM Propelled by the AI Era

SK hynix’s rise to become the leader in the global memory market has been driven by the growth of the AI industry. Since the emergence of generative AI in 2022, a wide range of products and services have adopted AI as the technology has rapidly evolved. This has led to a surge in demand for high-performance memory, which is essential for processing massive datasets and enabling fast training and inference¹. In response to this demand, SK hynix is providing advanced memory products and thereby playing a defining role in the development of the AI industry.

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

SK hynix has continually advanced its HBM lineup to reach new standards in performance

SK hynix solidified its capabilities even before the AI boom by focusing on developing the early generations of HBM, a high-bandwidth memory which rapidly transmits large volumes of data. The company then gained market leadership and expanded its influence with the third-generation HBM, HBM2E. HBM3, the successor to HBM2E which is optimized for AI and high-performance computing (HPC), also drew significant attention. Most notably, the company established itself as a key partner in the AI and data center markets by supplying HBM products to NVIDIA. Around this time, SK hynix achieved a 50% market share in the HBM sector to strengthen its HBM leadership.

Moving into 2024, SK hynix has maintained its prominence in the AI memory market. The company began supplying the world’s best-performing 8-layer HBM3E, first developed in 2023, to leading global tech giants in March 2024. Offering maximum data processing speeds of around 1.2 terabytes (TB) per second, HBM3E helped SK hynix further bolster its status as the global no. 1 AI memory provider.

Next-Generation HBM: Utilizing 15 Years of HBM Technology Know-How

SK hynix’s HBM success story can be traced back to 2009. This was the year when the company began full-scale product development after discovering that TSV² and WLP³ technologies could break memory performance barriers. Four years later, the company introduced the first-generation HBM, incorporating these TSV and WLP technologies. Although HBM was hailed as an innovative memory solution, it did not receive an explosive market response because the HPC sector had not yet sufficiently matured enough for widespread HBM adoption.

²Through-silicon via (TSV): A technology that drills thousands of microscopic holes in the DRAM chip and connects the upper and lower chip layers with electrodes that vertically penetrate through these holes.
³Wafer-level packaging (WLP): A method that is a step beyond the conventional package, where wafers are cut into individual chips and then packaged. In WLP, the packaging is completed at the wafer level, producing finished products.

Building on its 15-year HBM history, SK hynix is well-placed to develop next-generation HBM products

Despite this, SK hynix pressed forward, focusing on developing the next generation of HBM and pursuing the goal of achieving the “highest performance.” During this period, the company applied MR-MUF⁴ technology, known for its high thermal dissipation and production efficiency, to HBM2E which changed the market landscape. Building upon this, SK hynix developed Advanced MR-MUF technology, which excelled in thin chip stacking, thermal management, and productivity, and applied it to both HBM3 and HBM3E. Leveraging this technology, SK hynix set a series of industry-best performance records, successfully mass-producing the 12-layer HBM3 (24 GB) in 2023 and the 12-layer HBM3E (36 GB) in 2024.

⁴Mass reflow-molded underfill (MR-MUF): A technology that ensures secure and reliable connections in densely stacked chip assemblies by melting the bumps between stacked chips.

These achievements were driven by a strategy that precisely aligned with the rise of the AI revolution. SK hynix launched its AI memory products at the right time, fully meeting market demands. This was made possible through 15 years of accumulated technological expertise based on research and development, unwavering employee trust in the company’s know-how, and forward-looking strategic investments.

SK hynix has continued taking strategic steps to strengthen its AI leadership in 2024. In April, the company signed an investment agreement to build an advanced packaging production facility in the U.S. state of Indiana which will produce next-generation HBM and AI memory. In the same month, SK hynix entered a technology agreement with TSMC. The deal aims to establish a collaborative three-way framework between the customer, foundry, and memory provider to overcome technological limits and secure an advantage in the AI market.

Beyond HBM: Relentless Innovation & Strengthening the AI Memory Lineup

SK hynix’s pursuits and innovations are unfolding across all areas of memory. The company has established its “memory-centric”⁵ vision and is developing a wide range of memory solutions based on over 40 years of accumulated technological knowledge. In 2024, SK hynix is making concerted efforts to strengthen its lineup with PIM, CXL, and AI SSD products to mark the first year of its renaissance.

⁵Memory-centric: An environment where memory semiconductors play the central role in ICT devices.

SK hynix’s AI memory lineup includes PIM, CXL, and AI SSD products

SK hynix is developing its lineup of processing-in-memory (PIM), an intelligent semiconductor memory which breaks the boundary between storage and computation. PIM, which features a processor for computational functions, is capable of processing and delivering the data required for AI computation. In terms of PIM-based products, SK hynix has launched the GDDR6-Accelerator-in-Memory (AiM) and last year introduced the accelerator card AiMX, an AiM-based accelerator that boosts performance by connecting multiple AiM units. In 2024, the company drew attention by unveiling a 32 GB version of AiMX which offers double the capacity of its predecessor.

SK hynix is also actively investing in Compute Express Link (CXL), a technology that integrates different interfaces such as those for CPUs and memory, to expand memory bandwidth and capacity. In May 2024, the company introduced the CXL Memory Module (CMM)-DDR5 which offers 50% greater bandwidth and double the capacity compared to standard DDR5. Then in September, SK hynix integrated key features of its CXL-optimized software HMSDK⁶ into the open-source operating system Linux, setting a new standard for the use of CXL technology.

⁶Heterogeneous Memory Software Development Kit (HMSDK): SK hynix’s proprietary heterogeneous memory software development tool. Enhances the performance of heterogeneous memory systems, including CXL memory, through effective memory control.

Ultra-high-speed, high-capacity enterprise SSDs (eSSDs) for AI servers and data centers are another area of focus for SK hynix. A prime example is the 60 TB Quad Level Cell (QLC) eSSD, co-developed with the company’s U.S. subsidiary Solidigm. This product stores 4 bits per cell while maintaining low power consumption. Looking ahead, the company is planning to develop a 300 TB eSSD and launch the product in 2025.

The company also offers a robust lineup for on-device AI. SK hynix developed the low-power DRAM, LPDDR5T⁷, in January 2023 to enhance the performance of AI smartphones. In November of the same year, the company unveiled the modularized version of the LPDDR5X, LPCAMM2, which is expected to deliver excellent performance in AI desktops and laptops. SK hynix has also completed the development of the high-performance client SSD (cSSD), PCB01, for AI PCs and the mobile NAND solution for AI, Zoned UFS (ZUFS) 4.0.

⁷Low Power Double Data Rate 5 Turbo (LPDDR5T): Low-power DRAM for mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, aimed at minimizing power consumption and featuring low voltage operation. LPDDR5T is an upgraded product of the 7th generation LPDDR5X and will be succeeded by the 8th generation LPDDR6.

Shaping the Future of Total AI Memory

Today, AI is being used to write reports, generate images, and create various types of content. In healthcare, AI aids in making diagnoses, while in education AI serves as an assistant for teachers. These are just a small selection of the current applications of AI, and the possibilities for the future are expected to be almost limitless as the technology continues to advance.

SK hynix plans to develop customized AI memory and emerging memory products

At the center of this technological revolution is AI memory. Various AI memory solutions, such as HBM, PIM, CXL, and SSDs, transmit large volumes of data quickly with high bandwidth or send only the processed results directly to the processor, minimizing bottlenecks and enhancing AI learning and inference performance. Furthermore, these technologies improve the energy efficiency of AI systems, contributing to the establishment of more sustainable AI infrastructure. These advanced AI memory technologies are expected to be applied across a wider range of industries such as the automotive and healthcare sectors, enabling faster and more efficient AI services.

To further AI’s development, SK hynix is continuously overcoming technological limitations. The company is focused on developing custom AI memory optimized for each customer in line with the growing diversification of AI services. Moreover, SK hynix is also working on next-generation emerging memory, which is based on new structures and principles as well as innovative components, such as ReRAM⁸, MRAM⁹, and PCM¹⁰. By relentlessly investing in technology development, SK hynix aims to secure differentiated competitiveness with advanced technologies and establish a leading position in future markets.

⁸Resistive RAM (ReRAM): A type of emerging memory with a simple structure containing a filament in which data is stored by applying voltage to the filament. It features a large data storage capacity through process miniaturization and low power consumption.
⁹Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM): A type of emerging memory which utilizes both charge and spin, with resistance in the device changing based on the direction of the spin.
¹⁰Phase-Change Memory (PCM): Semiconductor memory which stores data by utilizing the phase change of a specific material (phase-change memory). It combines the benefits of non-volatile flash memory, which retains data even when powered off, with the rapid processing speeds of DRAM.

The semiconductor market itself is poised for significant growth. The World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) forecasts that the semiconductor market will expand by 16% year-on-year in 2024. In particular, the semiconductor memory sector is predicted to grow by an impressive 76.8% as demand surges for AI memory such as HBM.

Standing at the forefront of the huge AI wave, SK hynix is preparing for another leap forward by building on its past achievements. As SK hynix celebrates its 41st anniversary, the company aims to maintain HBM leadership while securing dominance in the next-generation semiconductor market to stand alone in an era where its products become “the heart of AI.”

The post [SK hynix’s 41st Anniversary] “Celebrating 40+1” … Harnessing 40 Years of Technological Expertise to Stand Alone as the Global No. 1 AI Memory Provider first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

A glimpse of SK hynix’s booth at the AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit 2024

SK hynix unveiled an enhanced Accelerator-in-Memory based Accelerator (AiMX) card at the AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit 2024 held September 9–12 in San Jose, California. Organized annually by Kisaco Research, the summit brings together representatives from the AI and machine learning ecosystem to share industry breakthroughs and developments. This year’s event focused on exploring cost and energy efficiency across the entire technology stack.

Marking its fourth appearance at the summit, SK hynix highlighted how its AiM¹ products can boost AI performance across data centers and edge devices².

¹Accelerator in Memory (AiM): SK hynix’s PIM semiconductor product name, which includes GDDR6-AiM.
²Edge device: Hardware that controls the flow of data at the boundary between two networks. While they fulfill numerous roles, edge devices essentially serve as the entry or exit point to a network.

Attendees gather to learn more about the upgraded AimX card

Booth Highlights: Meet the Upgraded AiMX

In the AI era, high-performance memory products are vital for the smooth operation of LLMs³. However, as these LLMs are trained on increasingly larger datasets and continue to expand, there is a growing need for more efficient solutions. SK hynix addresses this demand with its PIM⁴ product AiMX, an AI accelerator card that combines multiple GDDR6-AiMs to provide high bandwidth and outstanding energy efficiency.

³Large language model (LLM): Advanced AI systems that require extensive datasets to train models to understand and generate human-like language. It enables applications like natural language processing and translation.
⁴Processing-In-Memory (PIM): A next-generation technology that embeds processing capabilities within memory, minimizing data transfer between the processor and memory. This boosts efficiency and speed, especially for data-intensive tasks like LLMs, where quick data access and processing are essential.

The 32 GB AiMX prototype card was shown publicly for the first time at the event

At the AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit 2024, SK hynix presented its updated 32 GB AiMX prototype which offers double the capacity of the original card featured at last year’s event. To highlight the new AiMX’s advanced processing capabilities in a multi-batch⁵ environment, SK hynix held a demonstration of the prototype card with the Llama 3⁶ 70B model, an open source LLM. In particular, the demonstration underlined AiMX’s ability to serve as a highly effective attention⁷ accelerator in data centers.

⁵Multi-batch: A computer processing method in which the system groups together multiple tasks (batches) and processes them at once.
⁶Llama 3: An open source LLM developed by Meta, featuring pretrained and instruction-fine-tuned language models.
⁷Attention: Mechanisms which give LLMs context about text, lessening the model’s chance of misunderstandings and allowing it to generate more accurate and contextually relevant outputs.

The upgraded AiMX was demonstrated with the Llama 3 70B model LLM to highlight its processing capabilities

AiMX addresses the cost, performance, and power consumption challenges associated with LLMs in not only data centers, but also in edge devices and on-device AI applications. For example, when applied to mobile on-device AI applications, AiMX improves LLM speed three-fold compared to mobile DRAM while maintaining the same power consumption.

Featured Presentation: Accelerating LLM Services from Data Centers to Edge Devices​

Euicheol Lim presenting on how the AiMX system accelerates LLM services

On the final day of the summit, SK hynix gave a presentation detailing how AiMX is an optimal solution for accelerating LLM services in data centers and edge devices. Euicheol Lim, research fellow and head of the Solution Advanced Technology team, shared the company’s plans to develop AiM products for on-device AI based on mobile DRAM and revealed the future vision for AiM. In closing, Lim emphasized the importance of close collaboration with companies involved in developing and managing data centers and edge systems to further advance AiMX products.

Looking Ahead: SK hynix’s Vision for AiMX in the AI Era

The AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit 2024 provided a platform for SK hynix to demonstrate AiMX’s applications in LLMs across data centers and edge devices. As a low-power, high-speed memory solution able to handle large amounts of data, AiMX is set to play a key role in the advancement of LLMs and AI applications.

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¹Accelerator-in-Memory based Accelerator (AiMX): SK hynix’s accelerator card product that specializes in large language models (AI that learns with large amounts of text data such as ChatGPT) using GDDR6-AiM chips.

²Accelerator: A special-purpose hardware device that uses a chip designed specifically for processing and computing information.

Figure 1. SK hynix’s exhibition booth at the AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit 2023

Hosted annually by the UK marketing firm Kisaco Research, the AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit brings together global IT companies and high-profile startups to share their developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning. This is SK hynix’s third time participating in the summit.

At the event, the company showcased the prototype of AiMX, an accelerator card that combines multiple GDDR6-AiMs to further enhance performance, along with the GDDR6-AIM itself under the slogan of “Boost Your AI: Discover the Power of PIM³ with SK hynix’s AiM⁴.”

³Processing-In-Memory (PIM): A next-generation technology that adds computational capabilities to semiconductor memories to solve the problem of data movement congestion in AI and big data processing.

⁴Accelerator in Memory (AiM): SK hynix’s PIM semiconductor product name, which includes GDDR6-AiM.

Figure 2. The prototype AiMX card utilizes multiple GDDR6-AiM chips for enhanced performance

As a low-power, high-speed memory solution capable of handling large amounts of data, AiMX is set to play a key role in the advancement of data-intensive generative AI⁵ systems. The performance of generative AI improves as it is trained on more data, highlighting the need for high-performance products which can be applied to an array of generative AI systems.

⁵Generative AI: AI that learns from large amounts of data to actively generate results based on a user’s specific needs.

Figure 3. Demonstrating a large AI language model with AiMX that utilizes GDDR6-AiM

SK hynix also demonstrated Meta’s generative AI Open Pretrained Transformer (OPT) 13B model on a server system equipped with the AiMX prototype. The AiMX system featuring GDDR6-AiM chips reduces data processing time by more than 10 times compared to systems with GPUs, while consuming one-fifth the power. The company’s demonstration piqued the interest of global companies providing AI services by showing that it can deliver higher performance⁶ than the most recent accelerators.

⁶Performance is based on the condition that the AiM Control Hub inside the AiMX card is developed as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Figure 4. Eui-cheol Lim, vice president of SK hynix’s Solution Development division, delivers a presentation on AiMX

In addition, the company held a session outlining the benefits of AiMX. In a presentation titled “Cost-Effective Generative AI Inference Acceleration using AiM,” Eui-cheol Lim, vice president of the Solution Development division, compared the performance of GPUs and AiMX and discussed the future of next-generation intelligent semiconductor memories.

“SK hynix’s AiMX is a solution that delivers higher performance while consuming less power, and costing less than conventional GPUs,” Lim explained. “We will continue to develop memory technologies that will lead the way in the era of artificial intelligence.”

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SK hynix presented its next-generation memory technologies and products at HPE Discover 2023, an IT conference held this year in Las Vegas between June 20-22.

Figure 1. SK hynix’s exhibition booth at HPE Discover 2023

Held annually by the American ICT company Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), HPE Discover brings together the company’s customers and partners along with industry experts to explore data center trends and the latest technologies such as memory solutions. SK hynix was among the exhibitors at the show as the company further strengthened its partnership with HPE.

Under the slogan “Elevate Your Edge With Memory Performance,” SK hynix showcased its industry-leading memory solutions for data centers. These included its PS1010 E3.S, a high-performance PCIe¹ Gen5-based eSSD, and DDR5 RDIMM, a DRAM module for servers applied with a 1bnm process. The capabilities of both products were highlighted during a joint promotion with HPE in which they were applied to Gen11, the host company’s latest server range.

¹Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCle): A serial-structured, high-speed I/O interface used on the motherboard of digital devices.

Figure 2. SK hynix and Solidigm display their advanced storage and memory solutions at HPE Discover 2023

Visitors could also see SK hynix’s lineup of advanced memory solutions including: HBM3² , a memory product that has been highlighted recently due to the rise of generative AI; CXL³ memory, an interconnect technology that enables efficient scaling of memory bandwidth and capacity; and PIM⁴ , a next-generation memory chip with computing capabilities. SK hynix’s subsidiary company, Solidigm, also showcased its portfolio of products including its PCIe Gen4 NVMe⁵ -based SSD.

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).
³Compute Express Link (CXL): A next-generation interconnect protocol based on PCIe that efficiently bolsters high-performance computing systems.
⁴Processing-In-Memory (PIM): A next-generation technology that adds computational capabilities to semiconductor memories to solve congestions in data movement found in AI and big data processing.
⁵Non-Volatile Memory express (NVMe): A communication protocol for storage devices based on PCIe interface. It can achieve speeds of up to six times greater than traditional SATA interfaces, making it suitable for ultra-fast, large data processing.

Figure 3. Vice President Eui-cheol Lim of SK hynix’s Solution Development division explains how PIM semiconductors will increase the efficiency of GPTs in the future

SK hynix also held a session where its members spoke about the role and vision of memory solutions in the future. For his part of the presentation, Vice President Eui-cheol Lim of the Solution Development division gave a talk on how PIM semiconductors can increase the efficiency of Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPTs). Technical Leaders Tai-jin Choi and Santosh Kumar of SK hynix America presented about trends in SSD storage technology for next-generation servers, and their colleague Technical Leader Yoosung Lee presented on how DDR5 is set to be the standard for next-generation DRAMs in the era of big data. All three presentations emphasized how memory solutions are essential in responding to the rapidly changing IT environment.

“Going forward, we plan to not only strengthen our partnerships with key customers but also showcase our unprecedented, next-generation memory solutions,” said Seok Kim, the head of GSM Strategy at SK hynix.

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• Core and brand-new products introduced under the theme of “Green Digital Solution”
• Introduction of eSSD with ultrahigh-performance to solidify SK hynix’s leadership in server memory market
• Solution to solve customers’ pain point proposed

Seoul, December 27, 2022

SK hynix Inc. (or “the company”, www.skhynix.com) announced today that it will showcase a number of its core and brand-new products at the CES 2023, the most influential tech event in the world taking place in Las Vegas from Jan 5^th through Jan 8^th.

The products, introduced under the theme of the “Green Digital Solution,” as part of the SK Group’s “Carbon-Free Future” campaign, are expected to attract Big Tech customers and experts given the significant improvement in performance and energy efficiency compared with the previous generation as well as the effect of lessening the impact on the environment.

Attention on energy-efficient memory chips has been on the rise as global tech companies pursue products that process data faster, while consuming less energy. SK hynix is confident that its products to be displayed at the CES2023 will meet customers’ such needs with outstanding performance per watt* and performance.

* Performance per watt: an indicator of how much computation is performed per watt of power consumed.

The core product put forward at the show is PS1010 E3.S, an eSSD product composed of multiple 176-layer 4D NAND that supports the fifth generation of the PCIe* interface.

*PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express): a high-speed input/output series interface used in the mainboard of digital devices. PCIe’s data-tranfer speed doubles in accordance with a generation shift.

SK hynix said that the introduction of the PS1010, a combination of the company’s industry-leading technologies, was made timely as the server chip market continues to grow despite the current industry downturn.

The PS1010 product shows improvement both in reading and writing speed by 130% and 49%, respectively, compared with the previous generation. Its performance-per-watt is also improved by more than 75%, helping customers reduce costs to run servers and carbon emission.

“We’re proud to launch PS1010, an ultrahigh-performance product with self-developed controller and firmware, at the CES 2023, the world’s largest technology show,” Yun Jae Yeun, Head of NAND Product Planning, said. “This product will solve pain point of our server-chip customers, while paving the way for a stronger competitiveness in NAND business for us.”

Other products to be introduced at the show are HBM3*, a memory product with the world’s best specification for high performance computing, GDDR6-AiM that adopts the PIM* technology and CXL* memory capable of flexible expansion of memory capacity and performance.

* HBM (High Bandwidth Memory): High-value, high-performance memory that vertically interconnects multiple DRAM chips and dramatically increases data processing speed in comparison to traditional DRAM products.

* PIM (Processing In Memory): A next-generation technology that provides a solution for data congestion issues for AI and big data by adding computational functions to semiconductor memory

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

SK hynix will also present the immersion cooling* technology of SK enmove, which specializes in energy efficiency. The technology, designed to help cool down the heat of the servers generated during the operation, marks a successful case where SK hynix cooperated with other SK companies or external business partners to create new values in the semiconductor business.

* Immersion Cooling: A next-generation thermal-management technology that cools down temperature by submerging data servers into cooling oil. This way, the total electricity consumption can be reduced by 30% compared with the existing technology that uses air to cool down temperature.

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
Jaehwan Kevin Kim
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

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When IBM-developed computer Watson beat out its human competitors on the quiz show Jeopardy in 2011, it was thought to be the beginning of the end of the superior reign of human intelligence. Watson brought discussions of AI to the mainstream. Its ability to apply machine learning to gather and analyze massive amounts of data in a flash was something most thought exclusive to sci-fi.

Quintillions of bytes of data are now being generated each day, with the amount of data generated by 2025 predicted to be 181 zettabytes. While this volume of data exceeds far beyond the realm of human consumption, cloud computing, faster processing, faster networks, and faster chips mean it can be processed and applied efficiently. AI isn’t a pipe dream – it’s a reality.

From Synapses to Circuits

Semiconductors supporting AI functions must capitalize on space and provide means for parallel processing for complex tasks. Enter, Processing in Memory chips. The so-called PIM chip integrates a processor with Random Access Memory (RAM) on a single memory module. This structure removes the boundary between memory and system semiconductors, allowing data storage and data processing to happen in the same place.

By eliminating the need for data to traverse modules, response times are greatly improved, allowing for real-time data processing. More traditional computer architectures, which manage processing and storage in separate modules, often fall prey to latency issues, commonly referred to as the von Neumann bottleneck. Adding processing functions to memory semiconductors presents a unique solution to overcome this long-standing problem.

SK hynix unveiled its next-generation PIM in February 2022 at ISSCC in San Francisco. The GDDR6-AiM (Accelerator in Memory) adds computational functions to GDDR6 memory chips, allowing for data to be processed at speeds of up to 16 Gbps.

GDDR6-AiM is also more energy efficient, reducing power consumption by 80% by removing data movement to the CPU and GPU. Advancing technology in a manner that supports a greener and more equitable world is an integral part of SK hynix future vision. GDDR6-AiM can help reduce carbon emissions and shrink the carbon footprint of any technology it’s applied to, advancing SK hynix’s ESG-related goals and expanding their positive impact across their clients’ industries.

While particularly effective in managing the needs of AI-based systems, PIM can be applied to a broad spectrum of technologies. Databases, query engines, data grids, and more all require some version of data storage and processing coupled with custom applications leveraging a variety of inputs.

The next generation of smart memory

Machine Learning vs. Deep Learning

Unbeknownst to many, artificial intelligence is a broad term that describes the science of creating machines that think like humans. The term machine learning marks functionalities that enable computers to perform tasks without explicit programming and includes deep learning, a subset that relies on artificial neural networks.

Deep learning can be seen as the most independent AI system as it manages both feature input and classification. These systems also require vast amounts of data and rely on parallel processes as their algorithms are primarily self-directed once trained.

AI machines, including deep learning models, are already a part of our lives. There are countless real-world AI applications, which only stand to increase. Everything from mobile devices to autonomous vehicles utilize AI models for tasks like location-based recommendation, auto-braking, camera-based object classification, and navigation through complex environments.

The art of computationally mimicking human intelligence takes many forms

Overcoming the Challenges

The road to PIM development was not without detours, roadblocks, and congestion. As the technology continues to advance, there are still obstacles to surmount across design, manufacturing, cost, and more.

Designing PIM requires the application of novel approaches to chip structures. Traditional semiconductors do not need to accommodate near-memory queues or perform parallel functions in the same way PIM chips do. Once onto the manufacturing stage, space and distance considerations become paramount. It is crucial to reduce how far signals must travel without increased cost or risk of thermal issues.

Furthermore, integrated chips such as PIM have an increased dependency on memory – a unique feature that is both a blessing and a curse. Any damage to the memory components could result in compromised data.

With the AI market expected to reach $190 billion by 2025, investment in AI is ripe. According to a Boston Consulting Group and MIT Sloan Management Review study, 83% of businesses say AI is a strategic priority. SK hynix will continue to advance its expertise in the area and lead this growing sector in the years to come.

The post Let PIM Do the Learning: The Brainpower Behind the AI Memory Chip first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.