SK Hynix CEO Unveils New Vision for the Future
Collaboration with Partners Including Nvidia, OpenAI, and TSMC
Introduction of New Memory Solutions Such as Custom HBM
Nohjung Kwak, CEO of SK Hynix, presented a new vision for the era of artificial intelligence (AI), introducing the concept of a "Full Stack AI Memory Creator." This vision goes beyond the traditional role of a "supplier," emphasizing a commitment to working together with customers to deliver more than what they expect.
During his keynote speech at the "SK AI Summit 2025" held at COEX in Seoul on the morning of the 3rd, CEO Kwak stated, "Until now, SK Hynix has solidified its position as a leading global company by focusing on delivering high-quality products that customers want at the optimal time. However, in the AI era, simply playing this role is no longer sufficient."
Kwack Nojung, CEO of SK Hynix, is giving a presentation at the "SK AI Summit 2025" held at COEX, Seoul, on the morning of the 3rd. Photo by Yonhap News
He addressed the "memory wall" phenomenon, where the pace of memory performance improvement lags behind that of AI processors, saying, "While hardware technology must rapidly advance to support the explosive increase in data movement, unfortunately, the speed of memory performance development has not been able to keep up."
SK Hynix plans to seek innovative synergies in AI and next-generation semiconductor technologies through "collaboration" with major global partners. CEO Kwak explained, "We are exploring joint utilization strategies with Nvidia in areas such as high bandwidth memory (HBM) and manufacturing innovation for AI, based on the Omniverse digital twin platform. With OpenAI, we are considering the possibility of a long-term partnership for the application of high-performance memory."
He also introduced ongoing collaborations with TSMC, the world's largest foundry company, on next-generation HBM technology; with Schneider Electric on the international standardization of next-generation NAND technology (HBF); and with Naver Cloud on optimizing next-generation memory software to improve data center efficiency.
Kwack Nojung, CEO of SK Hynix, is giving a presentation at the "SK AI Summit 2025" held at COEX, Seoul, on the morning of the 3rd. Photo by Yonhap News.
CEO Kwak unveiled examples of new memory solutions being developed to advance as a "Full Stack AI Memory Creator." While previous memory solutions were integrated around computing, he believes that future memory solutions will further expand the role of memory to structurally resolve AI inference bottlenecks.
The new memory solutions are expected to include custom HBM, AI-D (DRAM), and AI-N (NAND). According to SK Hynix, while the AI market has traditionally focused on general-purpose solutions, recent demand is shifting toward specialized efficiency and optimization. The HBM product lineup is also expanding from standard to custom offerings.
Additionally, CEO Kwak stated, "DRAM has evolved with a focus on general-purpose use and compatibility, but we are now segmenting the categories further to prepare memory solutions best suited for each area." He introduced plans for low-power, high-performance DRAM, ultra-high-capacity memory that overcomes the memory wall, and high-quality DRAM that can be expanded into fields such as robotics and mobility. Regarding the AI-N product line, he emphasized, "We are preparing solid-state drives (SSD) that support dramatically improved input/output speeds in a small form factor, as well as solutions that utilize NAND to supplement the capacity limitations of HBM. These efforts aim to enhance competitiveness in AI semiconductors."
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