SK hynix is a multinational company with over three decades of expertise in semiconductor manufacturing. The company’s global presence spans from four production sites in Korea and China (Icheon, Cheongju, Wuxi, and Chongqing) to four R&D centers and ten sales offices across the world. Building on its existing technological prowess, SK hynix is making relentless R&D efforts and investments to develop cutting-edge technology and cost-competitive products to attain leadership in the global semiconductor market.
Company profile
| Company name | SK hynix | CEO | Lee Seok-Hee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date Began Semiconductor Business | February 1983 | Area of business | Manufacture and sales of semiconductor devices |
| Address of headquarters | 2091, Gyeongchung-daero, Bubal-eup, Icheon, Gyeonggi, South Korea | Products and services |
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Semiconductors are the engine that drives the present and the future of the IT industry
In today’s digital world, semiconductors are serving as the critical foundation and enabler of the IT industry.
Semiconductors are more than just components; their performance now determines the performance of numerous IT devices. SK hynix mainly produces memory semiconductors such as DRAM and NAND flash that are essential components of various IT devices such as mobile and computing products, but the company’s portfolio also includes system semiconductors such as CMOS image sensors. Ever since the first pilot production of Korea’s very first 16Kb SRAM in 1984, SK hynix has been reinforcing its technological leadership by introducing a series of world’s first, smallest, fastest, and lowest-power innovations in the semiconductor industry.
Just as smartphones and tablets have become an integral part of modern lifestyle, more and more futuristic IT devices will continue to permeate our everyday lives. The advent of new digital products and the ever-expanding Internet of Things are driving the growth of demand and applications of semiconductors. Bolstered by such market trends, SK hynix has been achieving tremendous financial success and qualitative growth with its cutting-edge technologies.
As IT devices become smarter and more mobile-focused, demand is surging for more advanced semiconductors. In response, SK hynix has been solidifying its technological leadership while improving its product competitiveness in the high value-added premium product sector. In particular, SK hynix is continuously striving to achieve leadership in areas where the importance of semiconductors is rising, including mobile, server, and storage solutions. Meanwhile, the company is preparing next-generation memory technologies beyond DRAM and NAND flash, such as PCRAM, STT-MRAM, and ReRAM, in a bid to lead the future market.
Business Areas
DRAM
SK hynix’s tireless R&D efforts have resulted in its industry-leading scaling technology, to which the company has added rigorous quality control measures to offer DRAM products with world-class performance and reliability.
The company’s major products include PC DRAM for PCs and laptops, server DRAM for servers in data centers, mobile DRAM for portable devices like smartphones for which low power consumption is key, graphic DRAM for processing massive graphic data at a high speed, and consumer DRAM for various digital devices. Such wide-ranging products are optimized to support diverse interfaces that customers require.
Based on its innovative R&D, SK hynix is committed to leading the global DRAM market by maintaining its technological leadership in the industry and developing new products to meet various needs of customers. More specifically, the company is continuously working to develop high-density, high-performance, low-power premium products that offer vastly improved performance from previous products in terms of power consumption, storage capacity, and processing speed.
NAND Flash
NAND flash was first used for data storage in MP3 players, PMPs, digital cameras, and navigation systems, but its applications are now diversifying into smartphones, tablets, PCs, and SSDs (Solid State Drives). With its industry-leading technology and market share, SK hynix has been keeping pace with market changes by continuously developing new products that offer higher data processing speeds and larger storage capacities.
In addition to its extensive NAND flash portfolio consisting of the latest raw NAND in various densities, including the MLC (Multi Level Cell) and TLC (Triple Level Cell), SK hynix continues to offer the highest-quality NAND solutions such as MCP (Multi Chip Package), embedded NAND flash, and SSDs to fulfil customers’ various needs.
CIS
CIS products, or CMOS image sensors, are non-memory semiconductors that serve the role of digital film in many IT devices. Despite being non-memory, the manufacturing processes of CIS products are closely related to those of memory semiconductors. Leveraging on the technological prowess cumulated by producing various memory semiconductors, SK hynix has made a successful entry into the CIS business. The use of CIS is projected to increase continuously, as more image data will be utilized in the future.
The CIS products of SK hynix are used in wide-ranging areas including not only cell phone and smartphone cameras, but also miniature medical imaging systems. Going forward, SK hynix will strive to open a new horizon in the CIS business by securing new high-pixel scaling technologies and offering products that can fulfil a variety of customers’ requirements.
