Juyeong Pyo, SK Hynix Vice President, "Synergy of Memory Solutions through Software"

The Key Player Behind the Successful Development of Memory Solution CMS

[Asia Economy Reporter Sunmi Park]"The goal is to create synergy in memory solutions by strengthening software technology competitiveness."

In an interview released on the 2nd at SK Hynix Newsroom, Ju Young-pyo, Vice President of SK Hynix, stated that the value of products increases significantly when software that meets customer expectations is added to hardware. The goal of creating synergy in memory solutions through strengthening software technology competitiveness stems from this belief.

He took charge of the software solution organization within SK Hynix in last year's year-end personnel reshuffle. In October last year, he developed the memory solution CMS that integrates computing functions into CXL memory, an industry first. CMS is evaluated not only for its value as a solution but also as a case that proves value from the customer's perspective through software.

Software is essential to preoccupy the next-generation memory semiconductor market. Software complements the physical limitations of hardware and enhances usability, enabling customers to utilize products more effectively. Especially, as customer demands have recently become higher and more complex, software is becoming increasingly important for semiconductor companies.

Vice President Ju explained, "CXL can accommodate various solutions such as not only memory but also GPUs and AI accelerators," adding, "It is significant that SK Hynix was the first to introduce CXL-CMS, which combines memory and accelerators into one." He expressed pride in the fact that at this technological inflection point, the semiconductor company introduced a new concept solution while also presenting customer application software cases that utilize it. Vice President Ju emphasized the need for flexible thinking, saying, “When software that meets customer expectations is added to our hardware, the product’s value increases even more.”

CXL-CMS was completed through collaboration with SKT. It is the result of combining SK Hynix’s strengths in next-generation semiconductor development technology and SKT’s strengths in broad customer contact points and software business infrastructure. Vice President Ju stated that they will actively promote collaboration to create results through mutual complementarity going forward. He said, “Collaboration with SKT will continue this year as well,” and added, “Additionally, we plan to collaborate with other affiliates under the ICT Committee within SK Group to create new possibilities.”

Vice President Ju described software development work for memory solutions as “something that benefits everyone.” This is because software creates ‘synergy’ between customer applications and SK Hynix’s hardware platform.

He also emphasized that standardization from a software perspective is important for the success of next-generation memory solutions. He said, “Adopting new concept memory solutions involves risks from the customer’s standpoint. Efficiency in terms of performance and cost is fundamental, but the sustainability of technology and interface unification are important. In that sense, SK Hynix is also focusing on securing technology for software standardization.”

Accordingly, Vice President Ju announced plans to actively engage in open-source related activities this year. He said, “It is necessary to actively embrace trends,” and added, “When the company reaches a level to lead such standards, it will be able to meet the expectations of global customers.” Furthermore, from the perspective of leading advanced technology research, he emphasized continuous exchange with academia as preparation for an upturn after overcoming the downturn crisis. This is because, from a macro perspective, it can serve as a foundation for securing high-level human resources and advanced technology research.

Becoming a leader who can provide direction from a technical perspective to members is his aspiration. Vice President Ju added, "I will help from the perspective of an engineer conducting research together so that members can perform competitive work and build good careers."