To celebrate ‘International Women’s Day’ and to better understand what life is like for the moms and dads of SK hynix, we asked team members from around the world to share with us their experiences and their thoughts about the work culture for SK hynix parents.

At work, Hye-jung Choi is a team lead of Revolution DRAM who is responsible for future memory device development at Revolutionary Technology Center (RTC) of SK hynix’s R&D department in Korea. But at home, she is a mother to two children, one in elementary school and another in middle school.

For Choi, the flexible work policy has eliminated early-morning meetings, giving her time to sit down for some breakfast and review documents while she prepares for the day’s meetings – time she otherwise might have spent commuting to the office.

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As her older child enters middle school, she not only benefited from the company’s school entrance gift money but also the years that her child spent at the company’s daycare center, removing a concern that many parents face. She also told us how she recently spoke with a newly pregnant colleague and shared information about company resources for soon-to-be parents, from prenatal diagnosis leave to a Dodami Room, a rest area for pregnant women, as well as details about maternity and childcare leave.

Jeon is a Leader of SoC Development Innovation Team taking charge of solution development. As a father of two children and a husband, flexible working means a lot to him in terms of work-life balance. With this, he is grateful for having a real life and tightening family bond while enjoying the work.

Sometimes, however, the simplest things can make big differences in the life of a working parent. Consider how mornings are hectic for employees like Ailsa Xue, who works on the Wuxi Photo Production Technology/Scanner Team in China. Getting her day started and motivating her child to wake up, eat breakfast and get ready for school while she gets ready for work can sometimes be challenging – and that means she either has to skip her own breakfast or risk fixing a meal that will certainly be cold by the time she’s able to sit down to eat at the office.

If not for the company cafeteria, which always has plenty of tasty options to get her energized for the morning, her physical and mental wellness in those first morning hours will likely be struggling by the time the lunch hour rolls around. As a bonus, she likes being able to step away from her desk in the mid-afternoon for a nice coffee break with her colleagues at an on-site company café.

For Vivian Nguyen, who works for SK hynix America Inc. in the Human Resources department, mornings with an 8-month-old, as well as commute traffic, can be unpredictable. That’s why flexible start times can be such an important perk for working parents. Likewise, because she is still a nursing mother, access to an on-site mother’s room and the flexibility to step away a few times a day provides her with a nice, tranquil setting. Like others, she is grateful for the on-site cafeteria for lunch. After all, making a lunch in the morning is near-impossible, given the challenges of getting out of the house with a baby in-tow.

If not for the flexible schedule and perks for working parents, she might not have the opportunity to thrive in her career while trying to be there for her family. For that, she is grateful to SK hynix for their support and understanding.

And SK hynix is happy to be able to create a working environment where parents can maintain a sense of work-life balance without having to sacrifice either. SK hynix is committed to a workplace that’s better for everyone – including working parents – because the company believes it makes the communities where we live and work that much stronger.

The post Special Days of Hi-gineers, Working Parents first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

Technological advancements are changing the way we do business, the way we communicate, the way we live. At SK hynix, hy-gineers are not just embracing these innovations—they are making them a reality.

A leader in the global information commujnciation techology (ICT) market, SK hynix’s solutuions are integral to the success of modern-day magic like self-driving cars, artificial intelligence, and AR/VR. In 2021, SK hynix took claim of multiple industry firsts including being the first to develop the industry’s fastest HBM3 DRAM. Never resting on its laurels, SK hynix continues to pursue innovation and realize its next-generation ideas through a commitment to meaningful R&D.

Supported by a rich history of success in DRAM and NAND development, SK hynix strives to unlock and deliver new, future-forward technologies as a part of the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution. At the core of it all—big data. Countless interactions occur online every day, whether they be purchases, messages, uploads, search queries, or any other digital action, each one creates and relies on data. The needs of this data are changing. It must be processed faster, stored more securely, and accessed more conveniently.

SK hynix is moving from an evolutionary path to a revolutionary one, already breaking ground to tackle the challenges of tomorrow today. In 2022, and beyond, SK hynix will continue to drive innovation that defines not only the global ICT industry but also daily life.

The post SK hynix – A Game Changer for the World first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

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With every new year comes a fresh sense of optimism about the future, a moment to focus on what’s to come, instead of what we’re leaving behind. And so, it’s fitting that the annual Consumer Electronics Show would take place in early January to provide the world with a preview of the products, services and technologies that will impact our lives in the year – and years – ahead.

Back in-person at the Las Vegas Convention Center after a Covid-prompted virtual-only show last year, CES remains a one-of-a-kind, a spotlight show where devices have long grabbed the headlines. The event, starting January 5 in strict compliance of the federal and local health authorities’ guidelines, is taking place in a relatively calmer mood, but still attracting visitors eager to learn the new technology trend.

It’s important to remember, however, that the “E” in CES stands for Electronics and that none of these attention-grabbing devices would be what they are without the various internal components – from Bluetooth chips to advanced semiconductor memory – powering them.

In keeping with the spirit of looking into the future with optimism, SK hynix will use its show floor space at CES to promote a different type of optimism for the future, one that impacts everyone – the environmental impact.

For as much attention that the devices themselves receive about battery life, heat generation and other concerns, carbon reduction efforts begin at the heart of those devices, within the internal components.

As a semiconductor company, SK hynix, along with five other group affiliates participating in the exhibition, shoulders an important part of SK Group’s larger carbon reduction effort and will be showcasing examples of its impact on three distinct areas: the product, the process, and the package.

The Product: Low-Powered Semiconductors

It’s widely recognized that general solid-state drives, or SSDs, consume 60% less power than hard-disk drives, or HDDs. If we can replace existing 4th generation NAND Flash-based enterprise SSDs (eSSDs) in the data centers around the world with 5th generation eSSDs, carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by 50,000 tons a year in 2030.

SK hynix’s world’s best-performing DRAM, High Bandwidth Memory 3 (HBM3), is also expected to contribute to SK hynix’s efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. HBM3, which is used for AI Accelerators and high-performance graphics cards, has improved power consumption over existing GDDR DRAM by about 50 percent. Replacing GDDR DRAM with HBM3 also will contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions by about 830,000 tons a year in 2030.

By accelerating the transition of the storages into SSDs and developing the next-gen semiconductor memory solutions, SK hynix can help contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, which is one of the important goals for SK Group.

The Process: Water-free scrubber

One of the best examples of SK hynix’s sustainable movement is the adoption of the highly efficient ‘Water-Free Scrubber’ at process plants to better manage water resources.

SK hynix’s dedication to the safe disposal of various chemicals used in semiconductor processing is proven through its development and adoption of eco-friendly process technology. For this, the eco-friendly scrubber technology was developed for the treatment of process gas. The eco-friendly scrubbers led to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 90 percent a year in 2020. Furthermore, SK hynix developed new water-free scrubbers with its partner companies. Compared to the existing scrubbers, these water-free scrubbers can eliminate process gas without using any water resources, and by so further reduce water resource consumption.

The Package: Biodegradable package material

The commitment to the environment doesn’t end when the products are manufactured. Even the packaging that our SSDs are shipped in take the environment into consideration.

Last year, when the company announced its Gold P31 SSD, it noted packaging that utilized biodegradable plastic bags, soy ink and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper. This eco-friendly package can be degraded by 90% in 180 days, and the certification indicated that the wood fiber was harvested in ways that reduce environmental impact by protecting water quality, avoiding hazardous chemicals, and protecting forest ecology and wildlife habitats.

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SK’s Pursuit of Eco-Friendly Semiconductor Ecosystem

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Processing a copious amount of data we use every day generates a lot of heat and carbon. In the process of semiconductor production, we are also striving with our business partners to create a sustainable semiconductor ecosystem by establishing the Eco Alliance, which is concerned with minimizing carbon emissions and solving environmental problems.

In 2019, SK hynix created the ECO Alliance, a coalition of nearly 40 partner companies committed to building an eco-friendly semiconductor ecosystem. Each member company of alliance is held accountable to mid-to long-term environmental goals that will reduce the impact of their company on the environment. SK hynix is working with partners to maximize energy efficiency in the manufacturing process by recovering waste heat and operating the refrigeration system in optimal condition.

THE SK FAMILY EFFORT

When it comes to carbon reduction, the work being done through SK hynix are part of a larger effort among SK Group’s many companies. The Group is determined to contribute to the global carbon reduction targets of 21 billion tons by 2030 by taking on one percent of that, or 200 million tons.

The work is part of SK Group’s larger philosophy and belief that social values are just as important as economic values. It’s an important message that will resonate as many of us venture out again for the first time since Covid changed our lives. For some, it will be the first time back on an airplane or sleeping in a hotel room. For others, it may be the first time being back among large groups of people.

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But to be back after last year’s hiatus, to see some cutting-edge technologies and be able to understand that the future is more than what we do, but also how we go about doing it. It’s an exciting time to be back.

Safe travels to one and all heading to and from Las Vegas. Stay healthy.

The post Back to CES: SK hynix Focuses on Ways Technology Can Impact Carbon Reduction Efforts first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

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When Facebook recently announced that it would change its name to Meta, reflective of its focus on the metaverse, it sparked an overnight curiosity about the word ‘metaverse.’ Until then, the term mostly had been limited to tech enthusiast circles, where advancements in virtual reality and other emerging technologies were the focus. Facebook, as a company, has been vocal about its interests in the metaverse and is putting itself into a leadership role for defining what the metaverse might look like. But a platform company alone won’t be able to define the metaverse.

Technically, the metaverse isn’t a real thing. Even though the concept of a fictitious universe goes back to 20th-Century science fiction, the metaverse remains largely a concept – though the technology has advanced in recent years that helped frame a vision for social, economic, and cultural interactions between avatars. At last, the distinction between the virtual and real world is beginning to blur.

Think of the Metaverse As…

Admittedly, there’s no single definition or example of the metaverse, as the concept is continuously evolving. One way to explain the concept is to imagine the internet itself in a persistent and shared 3D version that is interconnected in a perceived virtual universe. More broadly, it has the potential to broaden beyond virtual environments and into augmented realities that facilitate interactions between the two worlds – physical and virtual.

Credit for the term itself goes to author Neal Stephenson and his 1992 novel Snow Crash, referring to a 3D virtual world where avatars of real people interacted with one another. Today, that’s not so hard to imagine when you consider our exposure to virtual reality games such as Fortnite and Minecraft or social network services such as Second Life and Twinity.

By enabling real-time interactions in a virtual world, they represent what many today might see as the metaverse. Yet, as advanced as those experiences might seem, they still aren’t true reflections of what the metaverse has the potential to evolve into, much of which has to do with the evolving capabilities of advanced technologies.

Still, the science, technology and business visionaries of today recognize what’s coming down the pipeline over the next generation – from faster, low-latency connections to more resilient and powerful technology components – and how it will open doors to new content-based revenue models in brand marketing, digital commerce and, eventually, virtual performances, among others.

Already, companies who shifted to remote work and video conferencing during the pandemic – as well as their employees and customers – have created more awareness around the value of virtual meetings. Taken to the next level, those same meetings could be less video-centric and more focused around an experience where avatars can virtually meet around a virtual table in a virtual conference room and pass virtual documents to one another – in real-time, without hiccups, delays or buffers.

Robust Technology Enables Metaverse Expansion

That’s where the power of the technology comes into play. The interest in future metaverse experiences and applications is driving the advancement of backbone technology, especially among components that enable fast, real-time processing of vast amounts of data generated through these metaverse interactions. And with the expansion of higher-end games, as well as virtual reality and augmented reality applications, the demand for CPU and GPU processors, as well as server DRAM, is expected to increase.

Certainly, graphics capabilities in VR applications have become more advanced over the years – but that’s largely been possible because of powerful semiconductors that provide the enormous memory bandwidth needed to reduce latency and create a seamless experience, even with the slightest turn of the head.

As such, there’s been greater technology capabilities through the development of next-generation low power DRAM for mobile devices, with SK hynix providing the latest technology to smartphone manufacturers. For the first time, SK hynix has adopted the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) equipment – lithography technology that uses extreme ultraviolet – for mass production through a photo process where circuit patterns are drawn on wafer surfaces.

New technology is expected to increase the number of DRAM chips produced from the same size wafer by 25 percent over the previous version. In addition to offering the fastest transfer rate and reducing power consumption by 20 percent, it could also help alleviate supply and demand concerns on global markets. A typical VR application can generate one terabyte of data per hour, or 10 to 20 times the storage capacity used by standard HD video files, creating a need for both processing speed and energy efficiency.

What’s Next for the Metaverse?

The power of the technology is what will allow the physical devices that open the doors to the metaverse to flourish. Facebook demonstrated a proof-of-concept VR headset last summer that simply looked like a pair of oversized sunglasses, headgear on the market today looks quite different and has mostly been limited to bulky goggles weighed down by a battery.

As interest continues to broaden the vision of metaverse environments, the demand for innovation is unlikely to subside. Ericsson has referenced an “internet of the senses” that would transport more than our sight, while the Teslasuit is using haptic feedback in a full-body suit that is already being used for NASA astronaut training. And at last year’s Facebook Connect, John Carmack, consulting CTO at Oculus and the inventor of 3D gaming, identified most promising new possibilities of VR, including emerging applications in the exercise space.

The post Metaverse Evolution Drives DRAM Demand and Development first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

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21st-century auto technology is undergoing a massive digital transformation that has been labelled the CASE revolution due to cars becoming more Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric. Vehicles now come with complex and efficient interconnectivity as well as integrated systems, such as infotainment, long-life batteries, and ultra-fast 5G networks. By leveraging a myriad of leading-edge technologies, car manufacturers are pushing the boundaries of mobility with never-before-seen functionality.

Vehicle automation in particular has been a focal point for automakers with self-driving cars now capable of performing most driving tasks, providing drivers with unprecedented convenience. Level 3 automated vehicles that can steer, accelerate, and brake on their own under certain conditions are presently being rolled out. This is a significant leap beyond levels 1 and 2 vehicles which offer driver assistance and Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) but still require steering and constant monitoring. Level 4 vehicles that can perform all driving tasks under certain conditions are currently in the developmental phase but are projected to find broader implementation by 2024 according to IDC.

Self-driving cars are fully loaded with electronic systems supporting an infrastructure, essentially making them mobile data centers that require an immense amount of computing power. The challenge automakers now face is creating data-storage subsystems that can handle advanced applications and meet automotive constraints. Semiconductors that have long powered the smartphone industry are currently being adapted into auto-grade memory and integrated into autonomous vehicles. With their increasing storage capacity and speeds, these tiny but powerful chips are now crucial for self-driving vehicles, creating a massive demand for NAND and DRAM in the global automotive market.

What makes self-driving possible?

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Self-driving cars use sensors such as LiDAR, RADAR, Ultrasonic, and high-resolution video cameras to detect objects and signs, including vehicles, traffic lights, lane markings, pedestrians, and road edges, thereby creating a map of its environment. Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology enables the vehicle to communicate with everything nearby, including other vehicles, infrastructure, networks and pedestrians to further help construct this virtual map. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the form of electronic control units (ECUs) then process and interpret all the sensory input and data before sending instructions to actuators that steer, brake, and accelerate as required. Sensors, V2X and AI technology all interact seamlessly together making self-driving vehicles a reality.

DRAM and NAND leading the smart car revolution

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The advanced technology embedded in self-driving cars require enhanced memory solutions due to the mission-critical nature of the applications and the immense amount of required storage. As people’s lives are on the line, there is no margin for error. This means auto-grade memory must be more reliable, faster, and robust than memory used in smartphones or laptops. Additionally, with self-driving cars projected to consume 5-20 TB per day per car, memory capacity must be increased to meet automotive needs.

To meet automotive-grade memory requirements LPDDR5 originally designed for mobile is being enhanced for self-driving vehicles, due to its many advantages including high density, performance, and endurance. LPDDR5 is being adapted for much larger dashboard displays to manage increasingly sophisticated navigational images and the control area of cockpit units. The digital cluster, front and rear sensors, and driver-monitoring system utilizing in-cabin cameras also require auto-grade LPDDR5.

High-capacity NAND flash memory, another key smartphone component, is playing an integral role in automotive applications and systems owing to its robust structure and multi-terabyte storage capabilities. Auto-grade NAND enables data capture and permanent storage of accidents in real-time as well as self-driving functions such as vehicle proximity alert, auto-headlights, speed regulation, emergency braking, lane integrity, and blind spot monitoring.

Meeting smart car industry standards

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According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), of all serious motor vehicles crashes, 94% were due to human error. Self-driving vehicles not only offer more convenience but the ability to reduce crashes, prevent injuries and save lives. To ensure driver safety, automotive-grade memory must meet stringent quality standards that ensure memory chips are error free and can be relied upon even in extreme temperatures and dynamic conditions.

A key standard established by the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) is AEC-Q100, a failure mechanism based stressed test qualification that guarantees a certain level of reliability and longevity for integrated circuits (IC). Stress testing of memory components concerns not only in-vehicle usage but the design and manufacturing process to ensure the highest quality product. To meet AEC-Q100 requirements, chip integrity is measured through a battery of stress tests involving temperature, vibration, and conditions such as dust and condensation. Only after passing all tests is a component certified auto-grade.

SK hynix has dedicated itself to achieving AEC-Q100 qualification by building up its process from the R&D stage to manufacturing using automotive industry standards. One such standard is IATF-16949, the Quality Management Systems standard for the automotive industry, which emphasizes defect prevention and reduction of variation and waste. Another industry standard SK hynix follows is ISO-26262, a mandate to develop a functional safety process to reduce the possibility of electrical malfunction. Additionally, Automotive Software Performance Improvement and Capability Determination (ASPICE) is an established framework used by SK hynix for measuring process quality.

Keeping pace with automotive memory needs

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With the advancement of self-driving cars, data storage has become a critical component of automotive design. This has placed a precedence on high data retention, speed and continual data integrity for the systems that make autonomous cars possible. As a developer of advanced, high-quality memory products, SK hynix stands at the forefront of this movement and is enhancing DRAM and NAND for the automotive market. In doing so SK hynix has positioned itself as a leader in the new e-mobility era and is committed to the ultimate goal of delivering safety and convenience to all drivers.

The post Let’s Hit the Road: Automated Vehicles are Pulling into the Fast Lane first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

SK hynix Inc. (or ‘the Company,’ www.skhynix.com) announced the completion of developing the industry’s most multilayered 176-layer 512 Gigabit (Gb) Triple-Level Cell (TLC) 4D NAND flash. The Company provided the samples to controller companies last month to make a solution product.

SK hynix has been promoting 4D technology from the 96-layer NAND flash products that combine Charge Trap Flash (CTF) with high-integrated Peri. Under Cell (PUC) technology. The new 176-layer NAND flash is the third generation 4D product that secures the industry’s best number of chips per wafer. This allows the bit productivity to be improved by 35% compared to the previous generation with the differentiated cost competitiveness. The read speed of cell increased by 20% over the previous generation adopting 2-division cell array selection technology. The data transfer speed also has been improved by 33% to 1.6Gbps adopting speed-up technology without increasing the number of processes.

Starting with mobile solution products that have improved maximum read speed by 70% and maximum write speed by 35% in the middle of next year, SK hynix plans to release consumer and enterprise SSDs sequentially expanding its application market of the products.

As the number of layers increases in NAND flash, the cell current reduction, the channel hole twisting, and the cell distribution deterioration due to double stack misalignment occur. SK hynix overcame these challenges by adopting innovative technologies such as cell interlayer height reduction, layer variable timing control and ultra-precise alignment and developed the industry’s top tier 176-layer NAND flash.

The Company also plans to consistently enhance its competitiveness in the NAND flash business by developing 1 Terabit (Tb) products with doubled density based on 176-layer 4D NAND.

“NAND flash industries are striving to improve technologies for high integration and maximum productivity at the same time,” said Jung Dal Choi, Head of NAND Development at SK hynix. “SK hynix, as a pioneer of 4D NAND, will lead the NAND flash market with the industry’s highest productivity and technology.”

According to market intelligence provider Omdia, the NAND flash market is estimated to expand from 431.8 billion GB in 2020 to 1.366 trillion GB in 2024 with 33.4 percent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR).

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Annotation

■ 4D NAND
SK hynix has named ‘4D NAND Flash’ to highlight the differentiation that achieves both performance and productivity at the same time by combining CTF cell structure and PUC technology from 96-layer NAND Flash in 2018.

■ Charge Trap Flash (CTF)
Unlike floating gate, which stores electric charges in conductors, CTF stores electric charges in insulators, which eliminates interference between cells, improving read and write performance while reducing cell area per unit compared to floating gate technology. Most 3D NAND companies are adopting CTF.

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■ Peri. Under Cell (PUC)
A technology that maximizes production efficiency by placing peripheral circuits under the cell array.

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■ 2-division cell array selection technology

The word line applies a voltage to the cell in the NAND flash circuit. The more the number of layers, the thinner the word line is to lower the cell’s height, and the greater the resistance applied to the word line will affect the speed. By dividing the cell connected to the word line into half compared to the existing one, the resistance can be lowered, which shortens the time of applying voltage and improves the read speed.

■ Cell interlayer height reduction technology

As the number of layers increases, it becomes difficult to drill holes for cell formation. This leads to increased resistance and reduced current, making it difficult to secure performance and reliability. For this, it is necessary to lower the cell interlayer height as much as possible, but this can increase interference between cells and defect rate. The cell interlayer height reduction technology not only dramatically lowered cell interlayer height of 176-layers but also secured competitive performance/reliability with related processes and design technologies.

■ Layer variable timing control technology

Increasing the number of layers and lowering the layer height often leads to channel hole twisting and cell scattering deterioration, which degrades the performance and reliability of each layer. This technology adjusts the amount and time of voltage applied according to the characteristics of each layers to maintain uniform cell characteristics and improve performance and reliability.

■ Ultra-precise alignment technology

Industries are utilizing a double-stack process that drills holes twice because it is impossible to drill holes for cell formation at once as the number of layers increases. Minimizing double-stack misalignment is the core of the double-stack technology. If the stacks are not aligned correctly, it will result in poor flow of current between stacks and occurrence of deterioration, reducing yield rate, performance and reliability. SK hynix applied double-stack technology since its 72-layer product in 2017, to this 176-layer product and advanced a technology that automatically corrects the location and size of holes in real time based on its know-how.

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
Sejin Julia Yoo
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

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

Technical Leader
Eun Suk Yixi Lee
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

The post SK hynix Unveils the Industry’s Most Multilayered 176-Layer 4D NAND Flash first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

SK hynix Inc. (or ‘the Company,’ www.skhynix.com) announced to launch world’s first DDR5 DRAM. It is a high-speed and high-density product optimized for Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) as a next generation standard of DRAM.

Since SK hynix announced the development of World’s First 16 Gigabit (Gb) DDR5 DRAM on November 2018, the Company has provided its major partners including Intel with sample products, and has completed various tests and verification of its functions and compatibility. This will allow SK hynix to provide its customers with the products once the DDR5 market becomes active.

In the meantime, SK hynix has conducted joint-operation of on-site lab, system-level test, and simulation with System-on-Chip¹) (SoC) manufacturers to verify the functions of DDR5. Also, the Company validated compatibility of its DDR5 and the major components on DRAM module including register clock driver²) (RCD), which affect DRAM performance, and power management integrated circuit³) (PMIC). Through these verifications, SK hynix has been collaborating closely with its global partners.

SK hynix’s DDR5 supports transfer rate of 4,800 ~ 5,600 Megabit-per-second (Mbps), which is 1.8 times faster than the previous generation – DDR4. It can transmit 9 full-HD (FHD) movies (5GB each) per second with 5,600Mbps transfer rate. Its operating voltage is 1.1V being lowered from 1.2V of DDR4, which means that its power consumption is reduced by 20%.

Another notable specification of the Company’s DDR5 is Error Correcting Code (ECC) inside the chip that can correct even 1-bit-level errors by itself. With the ECC, the reliability of applications will be increased by 20 times. The Company’s DDR5 also could build up to 256 Gigabyte (GB) capacity applying through-silicon-via (TSV) technology.

The Company expects that these eco-friendly semiconductor memories will reduce both the power consumption and operating costs of data centers as DDR5 consumes less power and significantly improves its reliability.

“Intel partnered closely with memory leaders including SK hynix on the DDR5 spec development starting with early architecture concepts through JEDEC standardization,” commented Carolyn Duran, Vice President of Intel’s Data Platforms Group and GM of Memory and IO Technologies. “In addition, we worked collaboratively with SK hynix on silicon development by designing and testing prototypes to ensure DDR5 meets its performance goals and are fully ready for our mutual customers.”

“As SK hynix has launched World’s First DDR5 DRAM, the Company could lead the future technology trend in global DRAM market,” said Jonghoon Oh, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at SK hynix. “SK hynix will focus on the fast-growing premium server market, solidifying its position as a leading company in server DRAM.”

Meanwhile, DDR5 standard was published by JEDEC (JEDEC Solid State Technology Association) earlier on July, 2020. According to market intelligence provider Omdia, the DDR5 demand will begin its surge in 2021, and it will possess 10% of total global DRAM market in 2022 and increase to 43% in 2024.

Synopsys, Renesas, Montage Technology, and Rambus have also stated their commitment to the continuing cooperation in creating the DDR5 ecosystem.

“Synopsys has collaborated with SK hynix to deliver highly reliable DDR5 solutions for advanced high-performance computing SoCs requiring ultra-fast and high-capacity memory subsystems,” said John Koeter, senior vice president of marketing and strategy for IP at Synopsys. “Our silicon-proven DesignWare DDR5/4 IP has been validated using numerous SK hynix DDR5 RDIMMs at up to 6400 Mbps, helping designers minimize risk and meet their high-performance requirements of data-intensive SoCs.”

“As the leading supplier of memory interface products for every generation of memory over the last twenty years, we pride ourselves on strong engagements with our key partners and customers. Renesas has worked closely with SK hynix to qualify a complete portfolio of DDR5 products for server, client and embedded markets.” Rami Sethi – Vice President and General Manager of Renesas’ Data Center Business Division

“Montage Technology is thrilled to partner with SK hynix on enabling the DDR5 memory ecosystem. As a leading vendor, we have been collaborating with SK hynix through many DDR generations, and are committed to providing high-performance, low-power memory interface solutions. Currently, Montage Technology offers a comprehensive portfolio of DDR5 logic devices – we are excited to further help SK hynix accelerate DDR5 market adoption,” Geof Findley, VP of Sales and Business Development at Montage Technology

“Compute-intensive workloads in the data center are accelerating the need for greater memory capacity and bandwidth,” said Chien-Hsin Lee, vice president and general manager, Integrated Circuits at Rambus. “DDR5 DRAM answers the call with higher data rates and new innovations that dramatically boost memory performance. Employing a new generation of memory interface chips, DDR5 RDIMMs and LRDIMMs will unleash the processing power of server platforms. We are pleased to partner with SK hynix to enable next-generation technology for the ecosystem and fulfill the growing demand for DDR5.”

Annotation

■ SoC (System on Chip)
A single chip solution integrating peripherals that interlock to the system bus and the central processing unit (CPU).

■ RCD(Register Clock Driver)
An active element that is used in RDIMM and LRDIMM for servers, which ensures signal quality between the transmitter and the receiver by amplifying commands and data signals applied to memory from memory controllers.

■ PMIC (Power Management Integrated Circuit)
An integrated circuit that receives the main power input and rectifies, divides and controls it into a stable and efficient voltage or current required by the electronics; PMIC is adopted in DDR5 DRAM module for the first time.

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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
Sejin Julia Yoo
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

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

Technical Leader
Eun Suk Yixi Lee
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

The post SK hynix Launches World’s First DDR5 DRAM first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

Seoul, September 22, 2020

SK hynix Inc. (www.skhynix.com) announced that Gauss Labs Inc. (www.gauss-labs.com) was founded to lead manufacturing innovation through industrial AI solutions.

Gauss Labs will start its Korean office later this month right after having established its headquarters in Silicon Valley, U.S. last month. SK hynix is the sole investor of its initial capital of $55 million through 2022.

SK Group has been promoting various types of AI businesses with its affiliates. “We should utilize innovative technologies such as AI and digital transformation (DT) to create social value, expand our market, and help our customers pursue happiness,” said Mr. Tae-won Chey, the Chairman of SK Group at SK Icheon Forum in August last year. “If we fail to utilize innovative technologies, we cannot guarantee the future of SK.” Gauss Labs is the first independent corporation from SK Group specializing in AI.

Gauss Labs initially aims to revolutionize semiconductor manufacturing through innovative AI technologies by utilizing an enormous amount of data generated at SK hynix’s manufacturing sites. Through these technologies, SK hynix plans to make its overall manufacturing operations, including process control, yield prediction, equipment maintenance, defect inspection and fault prevention, more efficient and more intelligent.

Young-Han Kim, a world-renowned data scientist, who is a tenured professor of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), will serve as CEO of Gauss Labs. Kim recently worked as a Data Research Fellow for SK hynix and is considered the best person to lead Gauss Labs’ growth with his technical expertise and global network.

Gauss Labs has also named Dr. Sunghee Yun from Amazon as its Head of R&D. Dr. Yun is an AI and optimization expert who has led several high-profile projects in various industries such as semiconductor and e-commerce. He is a former student of Professor Stephen Boyd at Stanford University, one of the most distinguished authorities in machine learning (ML) and convex optimization.

Gauss Labs plans to expand its business to global customers as well as SK Group affiliates related to energy, bio and other manufacturing industries. AI services have been mainly based on B2C before, but recently AI is being gradually introduced to the manufacturing industry for production troubleshooting and cost reduction.

“Gauss Labs is actively seeking the best players in AI. We plan to recruit both in our U.S. headquarters and Korean office, with the goal of growing the company to 200 scientists and engineers by 2025,” said Kim. “By working on the right problem at the right moment, I am confident that Gauss Labs will become a world-class industrial AI powerhouse with exceptional talents like Carl Friedrich Gauss.”

Gauss Labs is currently recruiting global AI talents from the industry and academia through its website.

*Gauss Labs homepage : www.gauss-labs.com
*Gauss Labs recruiting e-mail address : gausslabs-recruit@sk.com

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
Sejin Julia Yoo
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

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

Technical Leader
Eun Suk Yixi Lee
E-Mail: global_newsroom@skhynix.com

The post SK hynix Invests in AI Specialized Company ‘Gauss Labs Inc.’ to Lead SK’s Future Value Creation first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

“Control Tower” That Leads Quality Improvement and Problem Resolution

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“Currently, SK hynix’s solution business is approximately at the world’s fourth place in terms of market share, but I think its development competitiveness is showing a rapid increase. As the competitiveness of the solution business has been strengthened thanks to the 128-layer 4D NAND, it is expected that SK hynix will step up to the global top tier level in the solution business in the near future, as well as its NAND business.”

“SK hynix develops and provides products for customers at the global top level in the field of high-performance mobile solutions, such as UFS 3.1² and uMCP 3.1³. It is also rapidly gaining competitiveness in the SSD field, which has been relatively challenging for us. For great performance in the solution business, it is important to secure sufficient product lineups to provide a variety of products according to customers’ demand in a timely manner, rather than focusing on one or two specific products. SK hynix has already established full portfolios that customers want in the mobile and client SSD fields. By next year, SK hynix is expected to have the same level of portfolio lineups as its leading competitors in the enterprise SSD field.”

Ahn also mentioned the nature of the NAND & Solution business nowadays. He is working to enhance the capabilities of Solution Development, especially in the perspective of the “overall optimization.

“The essence of the NAND business is to deliver value to customers, which means to help customers keep their data for a long time at a very low cost, with no compromise in quality. To achieve this, customers’ data should eventually be contained in the form of a solution product, which is a mobile solution such as SSD Solution or UFS. In such products, various components such as a controller⁴, a firmware⁵, and active and passive elements are mounted, as well as a NAND. In this regard, the essence of the NAND & Solution business is overall optimization.”

He also emphasized Solution Development should play the role as a “control tower” for the NAND solution. This control tower should be able to coordinate the whole aspects.

“For solution products, a wide range of aspects should be considered, such as components, aligned technologies, securing product performance and quality that customers want, and price. For this reason, someone has to play the role in coordinating from development to mass production for continuous customer satisfaction. As Solution Development plays a leading role in the entire process from designing various elements such as NANDs, controllers, active/passive elements, PCBs, and modules to customer certification and mass production defect resolution, it should take a role of a “control tower” in the technology aspect.

With regard to this, what I emphasize to the members is the ‘sense of ownership’. When looking for the cause in the case of a fault or performance deterioration, it’s often unclear to determine which organization caused such problem. At such times, members of Solution Development should take the lead in understanding the real cause and solving the problem, rather than focusing on identifying the responsible organization. That way, other organizations will be able to develop flawless solution products with us.”

At the same time, to survive in the fierce market competition, he emphasized the innovation speed faster than competitors.

“Competition is the inevitable fate of a company. In a rapidly changing environment, we can’t outperform our competitors simply by running faster than we did in the past. What’s more important is outpacing them in the relative speed. A correct direction is crucial as well.”

To speed up the innovation, Ahn has re-established organizations of Solution Development. First, the Innovation team was established. The role of the Product Management Office (PMO), which is a control tower organization within Solution Development, has also been strengthened. From this year, PMO has been presenting standards for how each organization should work and leading cooperation based on the sense of ownership.

Also, the Product Engineering (PE) team has been strengthened to improve the verification capabilities. This shows the intention to make a balance between development and verification, whilst development has been the main focus thus far. PE team is reinforcing its role of driving each development organization and preemptively reducing defects to secure a certain level of product completeness, regardless of the internal certification. Along with this, it is contributing to enhancing the technology level in the mass production process by dispatching engineers to collaborative organizations.

Going beyond the Customers’ Expectations: The Right Person for a Big Leap forward to “Customized Solution”

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Ahn believes that the next three to four years will be the most important period in this business. With this belief, he is paying attention to strengthen the basics. Especially, the area he is focusing on the most is securing and fostering human resources with professional capabilities.

“This is the time when customers and product lineups are expanding. In this circumstance, the most important thing to achieve the best performance and quality ahead of competitors is to secure professional competence. To realize this, we are committing ourselves to fostering top-level experts in the fields of System on Chip (SoC), firmware and verification, by expanding the Expert and Architect systems within Solution Development.”

An expert means a person who has a comprehensive knowledge in a particular area. An architect is a person with a high level of technical competence beyond experts, as well as a sufficient understanding not only in one particular area but also in other adjacent fields. It is also a maestro who can determine the direction and goal of development.

To become an architect, expertise in at least three areas is required, as well as a profound understanding of customers. Currently, Solution Development has two architects in the firmware field. Ahn is expecting that new architects in the SoC filed will be produced within this year. Ahn’s goal is to produce at least ten architects in the next three to four years.

“Even though additional architects are newly produced this year, this might not guarantee a significant and immediate contribution to the development. However, within three to four years, the development direction will be decided based on the know-how of these architects. When the development direction becomes clearer and the competencies are put together, the value created from this will be astronomical. We are currently improving systems and expanding related education to secure architects who will play a crucial role.”

“We can’t really say that customers’ evaluation of our products was all great last year. There have also been some instances of persistent problems with some products. In this process, we’ve learned many lessons. Since then, we’ve devoted ourselves to restoring customer trust by establishing policies that prioritize quality and dispatching our engineers to major overseas markets. As a result, as of the end of June this year, quality evaluation of the mobile solutions in the first half of this year by global customers, especially those in China, has recorded the top level in the industry. SSDs are well evaluated by customers as well. To get to this point, Quality & Reliability Assurance (QRA) and Global Sales & Marketing (GSM) have provided a lot of assistance. We’ll continue to work hard to maintain the highest quality in the future.”

Due to the spread of COVID-19 this year, voices of concern are being heard from inside and outside; SK hynix, however, is turning the crisis into an opportunity by supplying products in a timely manner. The Company is also preparing the post-COVID-19 era as well.

“The recent market contraction was caused by the COVID-19 issue, but also by the industry itself. The semiconductor memory industry is cycle-based, repeating a boom and bust cycle. I believe that if we can secure customer trust by developing industry-leading products even in times of recession, we’ll be able to make a bigger leap forward in the upcoming periods of prosperity.

In the meantime, even if the COVID-19 situation is resolved in some way in terms of disease management, the current “contactless” environment is expected to continue in the future. We will focus on grasping the changes in customers and market environment to proactively develop appropriate technologies and products, responding to our market by making preparatory actions with GSM.”

CEO Seok-hee Lee has recently mentioned that the NAND and Solution businesses should play a big role to enhance SK hynix’s market value. In response to this, Ahn presented detailed execution plans.

“There are two ways to enhance market value. One is to expand sales by increasing investment, and the other is to show growth potential to the market. We’re paying attention to the latter. One typical example is Tesla, which achieved the highest market capitalization in the automobile industry despite the relatively modest sales.

We’re currently thinking of three major execution plans. The first is to dramatically increase the growth rate of the business to show the market that we have tremendous growth potential. The second is to let the industry know in various ways that the capabilities of the human resources responsible for the SK hynix’s NAND & Solution business are rapidly growing. The last is to expand our status in the contactless environment. In other words, it is about strengthening technological competitiveness for the future through the ‘select and concentration’ strategy. By implementing these three methods efficiently, we’ll continue to increase market value to achieve our goals.”

The First Penguin who Supports the Personal Growth of Employees

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During his career, Ahn has often moved to different departments. Starting as a process engineer, he went through the Corporate Strategy & Planning and Innovation Task Force (TF), and built his career in the NAND & Solution field. He has been dispatched to SK Telecom, and he was once in charge of establishing artificial intelligence (AI) strategies at the Future Technology & AI. How was he able to achieve great results in all of these different fields? He mentioned “listening and learning” as his strengths.

“The reason why I could be well adapted anywhere was that I listened to the members carefully. Employees at SK hynix put their heart and soul in each position. If you are a leader, what you have to do is to provide an environment where hard-working members can work more efficiently and effectively.

You also need to pay attention to personal growth, and one way to achieve this is giving them a chance to learn. For example, I took a short MBA course when I joined the planning organization after working as an engineer, and I took a ten-week AI training course when I started AI-related work in 2019. Learning things every time I come across a new field is becoming something enjoyable. I think that sharing my experiences with the members and my efforts for assisting their growth aroused sympathy from the members, making it possible for me to reach where I am now.”

He defined himself as a “first penguin”. First penguin means a penguin that stands at the front of a group of penguins as they move between ice floes to check for hazards such as seals and broken ice.

“A leader should take the initiative and set an example. Especially, Solution Development members have a variety of careers and expertise, so only at the expense of more experienced leaders can they win their hearts. In addition, a leader should be meticulous and precise. As the range of work is very wide, there’s no time to check one thing multiple times. That’s also the reason why all members should faithfully play their own role in each area and check until the end to ensure that there are no problems in terms of completeness or quality of development.”

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In particular, Solution Development is a young organization with great diversity. Ahn is spending a lot of time to think of a way to enhance work efficiency by making the most of this organizational characteristic.

“Understanding each other is important. Bringing out 100% of the competencies of the members is up to the leader. What I emphasize to leaders is to spend a lot of time understanding the competencies of their members accurately and figuring out which momentum can bring out the best results.

Also, I try hard to give work to the right person whenever possible. Whatever the work is, if you give the work to the right person, it is resolved perfectly in less time. If the time earned by doing this is used for developing competencies of the members, the overall performance will be steadily and significantly improved.”

¹NAND Solution: A storage product mounted on IT devices such as SSD and UFS for storing data. Equipped with a NAND-based system semiconductor that can process data such as a controller, it features high stability and fast processing speeds.
²UFS: Universal Flash Storage. A next-generation memory card. A NAND flash solution used in mobile devices.
³uMCP: UFS-Based Multi-Chip Package. A semiconductor in the form of a single chip manufactured by combining multiple types of semiconductors based on UFS.
⁴Controller: System semiconductor that processes data by controlling the NAND installed in the Solution
⁵Firmware: A micro program which controls hardware stored in a Read-Only Memory (ROM).

The post Ceaseless Effort of NAND Solution to Boost Corporate Value of SK hynix: Interviewing Hyun Ahn, Head of Solution Development first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.