SK hynix VP wants to become 'total AI memory provider' for future-gen AI GPUs with HBM

SK hynix wants to rule the AI world, it seems, with its Vice President Son Ho-young outlining his plans and ambitions for the future of HBM memory made by the company inside of future-gen AI hardware.

Son Ho-young, vice president of SK Hynix, provided his thoughts and ambitions on taking a huge role in the unstoppable AI era on February 27, where he said: "Like the company has persisted in developing HBM, confident in its value, I too will continue to devote efforts to developing next-generation AI memory technology to lead the rapidly changing AI era."

As it stands, SK hynix is sold out of its entire HBM memory supply for this year -- with HBM3 on the market, HBM3e dropping soon, and HBM4 entering mass production this year -- Son's comments make sense. SK hynix makes some of the world's best memory, and the world's best memory is one of the key parts of AI GPU hardware.

Son continued: "The biggest achievement personally, beyond the company's contribution, is the development of the first-generation HBM about a decade ago. Despite numerous trial and error, not giving up and turning crises into opportunities allowed us to successfully develop the current fifth-generation HBM3E and advanced packaging technologies".

He continued: "When we developed advanced packaging technology last year, a single organization handled the integration work with process technology. While this approach can reduce trial and error in the early stages of development, as technology becomes more sophisticated and diversified, it shows weaknesses in efficiency and expertise. To develop AI memory customized for each customer, flexibility and scalability of technology become important, necessitating a departure from traditional approaches."

"To proactively respond to this trend, we plan to subdivide existing organizations and enhance expertise in each. For implementing diverse AI, the characteristics of AI memory also need to become more varied. Our goal is to have a variety of advanced packaging technologies capable of responding to these changes. We plan to provide differentiated solutions that can meet any customer needs."

"While immediate results are important, securing technological capability from a long-term perspective is even more crucial. When I first developed TSV technology and HBM, I received a lot of help through exchanges with academia in a free environment, which became a significant asset to me."