SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung. Credit: SK Hynix
SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung is predicted to satisfy Scott Guthrie, govt vice chairman of Cloud and AI at Microsoft, in Seoul this week to debate reminiscence provide, in response to Maeil Business Newspaper, citing business sources.
The assembly is scheduled to happen at Microsoft’s AI Tour Seoul on March 26, the place discussions are anticipated to concentrate on high-bandwidth reminiscence (HBM) and DRAM provide for Microsoft’s knowledge facilities. SK Hynix provides HBM3E for Microsoft’s internally developed AI accelerator, Maia 200, in response to the report.
HBM demand rises with customized AI chips
Demand for HBM is growing as improvement of personalized AI semiconductors expands, the report mentioned. Companies akin to Google and Amazon Web Services (AWS) already use HBM in proprietary AI chips, whereas demand from Microsoft and OpenAI is predicted to develop.
SK Hynix additionally provides HBM to Google and AWS. SK Group is constructing a knowledge heart in Ulsan in collaboration with AWS, in response to the report.
Separately, SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won met Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella throughout a visit to the US final month, underscoring ongoing cooperation between the 2 firms.
EUV funding expands superior DRAM capability
Separately, SK Hynix mentioned it would make investments roughly KRW11.95 trillion (approx. US$8.2 billion) to amass excessive ultraviolet (EUV) lithography gear from ASML, in response to a regulatory submitting on March 24.
The funding represents 9.97% of the corporate’s whole property as of the top of 2024. The procurement will happen over about two years by way of December 2027 and contains gear acquisition in addition to set up and modification prices.
SK Hynix didn’t disclose the variety of EUV techniques to be bought. Based on estimated unit pricing, business observers count on greater than 20 techniques may very well be included, doubtlessly doubling the corporate’s current EUV capability.
The gear is predicted to be deployed on the M15X plant in Cheongju and on the first fab (Y1) of the Yongin semiconductor cluster, which is scheduled to start operations subsequent 12 months.
Process transition and capability ramp
The expanded EUV deployment is predicted to speed up SK Hynix’s transition to its sixth-generation (1c) course of. The firm plans to use the 1c node to next-generation merchandise, together with HBM, DDR5, and LPDDR6.
SK Hynix has already developed 1c-based DDR5 DRAM and LPDDR6 merchandise, enhancing productiveness, energy effectivity, and knowledge processing…
