Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix unveil next-gen memory solutions in US

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, two leading domestic semiconductor manufacturers, showcased their latest cutting-edge memory solutions at the Future of Memory and Storage expo in Santa Clara, California. The event brought together representatives from Korean companies and global players in semiconductors and information and communications technology, including Micron, SanDisk, AMD, IBM, and Kioxia.

At the expo, Samsung Electronics unveiled a prototype of its next-generation 3D memory zHBM, a revolutionary design that stacks memory chips vertically above the artificial intelligence accelerator, unlike the traditional horizontal arrangement. This innovative structure significantly reduces data transfer distances, leading to faster data transfer speeds and improved power efficiency.

Samsung claims that the new technology can deliver performance up to eight times higher than the current eighth-generation HBM (HBM5) memory tech.

Additionally, Samsung Electronics introduced its concept model for the zNAND-O, a high-performance NAND solution specifically designed for on-device AI applications in digital devices like smartphones. Another product, the V10 BV-NAND, features a remarkable stacking capacity of over 400 layers, further enhancing data read and write performance for data-intensive AI applications.

On the other hand, SK Hynix unveiled its next-generation memory technology, High-bandwidth Flash (HBF), in collaboration with SanDisk. This novel technology vertically stacks NAND dies in two configurations (eight-high and 16-high), significantly increasing capacity. The new innovation was developed in response to the soaring demand for data processing in AI inference, a field that has seen a surge in data processing requirements.

Analyst Josephine Lau of the French market analysis firm Yole Group projected that Korea will maintain its position as the world's leader in memory production through 2031. This confidence is bolstered by the Korean government's plans to double memory production capacity within the next five years, as well as Samsung and SK Hynix's substantial investments aligned with these plans.

Lau noted that the time required for developing new memory products has significantly decreased from 18 months to just 12 months, as the AI market transitions from learning to inference. This rapid pace of development suggests that memory manufacturers must keep up with the swiftly evolving market landscape.