"Strengthening Semiconductor SW Competitiveness Following HBM and HW"
Advantageous for Global Collaboration on Next-Generation Memory and More
SK Hynix announced on the 23rd that it has integrated the key features of 'HMSDK,' a Compute Express Link (CXL) memory operation optimization software, into Linux, the world's largest open-source operating system. This is seen as recognition not only of its ultra-high-performance hardware memory such as HBM but also of its software competitiveness.
SK Hynix explained, "CXL memory is a next-generation AI memory product attracting attention as the successor to HBM," adding, "The performance of HMSDK, our self-developed CXL optimization software, has been internationally recognized and applied to Linux."
CXL is a next-generation interface that efficiently connects central processing units (CPU), graphics processing units (GPU), and memory in high-performance computing systems to support large-capacity and ultra-high-speed computations. Applying CXL to existing memory modules can expand capacity by more than 10 times. HMSDK refers to SK Hynix's proprietary heterogeneous memory software development kit. It enhances the performance of heterogeneous memory systems, including CXL memory, through effective memory control.
Going forward, global developers working on Linux will adopt SK Hynix's technology as the industry standard when using CXL memory, and the company expects to gain a favorable position in pursuing global cooperation related to next-generation memory.
HMSDK differentially allocates memory based on the bandwidth between existing memory and expanded CXL memory, expanding the bandwidth of the memory package by more than 30% without adjusting existing applications. Additionally, this software has been confirmed to improve performance by more than 12% compared to existing systems through its 'access frequency-based optimization' feature, which moves frequently used data to faster memory.
The semiconductor industry anticipates that CXL will enter full-scale commercialization as the first server CPUs applying the 'CXL 2.0' standard are launched in the second half of this year. In line with this, SK Hynix is currently conducting customer certifications for CXL 2.0 memory with capacities of 96GB and 128GB and plans mass production by the end of the year.
Joo Young-pyo, Vice President of SK Hynix (in charge of Software Solutions), said, "For the advancement and spread of AI, such as large language models (LLM), not only semiconductors but also system application levels supporting them must be significantly improved." He added, "With this Linux integration and collaboration as a milestone, we will strive for technological innovation and ecosystem expansion in this field, further elevating our status as a ‘Total AI Memory Solution Company.’"
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