As the digital era evolves, so does its complexity. Among the aspects that are undergoing the most significant changes is the data center environment, which today demands higher density and efficiency levels than ever before.
The Open Compute Project (OCP) is an initiative that proposes a new direction in which both software and hardware disciplines are tightly connected in order to efficiently address the increasing requirements of compute infrastructure. It gathers major decision-makers, technologists, engineer developers, and suppliers to exchange insights, discuss challenges, and provide solutions in and around the data center.
The OCP is also characterized by open source and open collaboration, with a global committee covering everywhere from the telecommunications industry to edge infrastructure, and everything in between.
The OCP Global Summit, held in the Fall each year, provides a unique opportunity to see and explore the various ways in which the data center industry is innovating and evolving. SK hynix attended the 2022 OCP Global Summit in San Jose, California, from October 18 to 20, to demonstrate its latest products, technologies, and ideas.
SK hynix, a Proud Supporter of OCP
Image 1. SK hynix’s booth at OCP Global Summit 2022 drew enthusiasm from participants and visitors
As a Ruby Sponsor, SK hynix set up a booth at OCP with the theme “Driving New Level of Performance for your Ultimate Data Experience,” showcasing latest research developments in next-generation memory technologies. Having attended every year since 2016, this year’s event was particularly memorable as it reverted to a face-to-face format for the first time since the Covid pandemic began.
At the event, the company unveiled the PCIe Gen5 PS1010 for the first time as well as highlighted offerings such as the DDR5 DRAM-based CXL (Compute Express Link) memory solution and next-generation intelligent semiconductor GDDR6-AiM, demonstrating how the company has truly become a total solution provider.
Demonstrating a Complete Solution Portfolio
Image 2. SK hynix demonstrated a portfolio of products on-site at the OCP Global Summit 2022 including a first look at PS1010
Four products were demonstrated by SK hynix at the OCP Global Summit 2022, starting with the PS1010. The PS1010 is a PCle (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) Gen5 total solution product that handles all SoC/DRAM/NAND and operations in-house, with data transfer speeds more than doubling over the previous generation due to the usage of the PCIe Gen5 interface. It was the first time SK hynix unveiled the product, emphasizing its use of industry-leading V7 NAND to ensure cost and performance competitiveness.
Second to be featured was the company’s DDR5 DRAM-based CXL memory solution that integrates computational functions into CXL memory for the first time in the industry. The solution is expected to be installed on next-generation server platforms in order to improve system performance and energy efficiency.
Third, a sample of the EDSFF (Enterprise & Data Center Standard Form Factor) E3.S was demonstrated following the announcement of the development of the latest DDR5 24Gb DRAM-based 96GB CXL memory sample. The combination of DDR5 and CXL memory was shown to reduce memory execution time by 20% and increase bandwidth by 50%, resulting in a 60% memory capacity expansion impact.
Finally, a sample of GDDR6-AiM (Accelerator in Memory) demonstrated the behavior of a huge AI model aimed at memory-centric computing. GDDR6-AiM combines processing function onto a typical DRAM, and can reduce energy consumption by up to 80% while providing up to 16 times the performance and lower operating voltage.
Thought Leadership in Memory Solutions
Image 3. Thomas Won Ha Choi sharing SK hynix’s perspective on the value of its new CXL memory
Besides the demonstrations that attracted a great deal of attention, SK hynix also participated in three session discussions at the OCP Global Summit. Thomas Won Ha Choi, Director of DRAM Product Planning at SK hynix, shared the company’s perspective on the new value of CXL memory, as well as its vision for planning and enabling the future development of robust CXL memory. He presented SK hynix’s various memory solutions to provide examples of how CXL devices can enhance memory system values.
Image 4. Donguk Moon introduces SK hynix’s CXL-based CMS at his session discussion
Donguk Moon, SK hynix’s Senior Technical Program Manager for Memory System Research, also introduced SK hynix’s CXL-based CMS, as well as collaboration with SK Telecom, one of Korea’s major telecommunications companies, to improve their Lightning DB real-time data management system by incorporating CMS into it.
A Future-Oriented Approach to Data Center Research
While SK hynix has concluded its successful participation in the OCP Global Summit this year, the company’s research continues, beyond the contents presented in the last few days. Next year, SK hynix looks forward to continuing to present important development achievements and new products for the future.
Observing the enthusiasm and passion shown by participants and visitors was inspiring, and further motivates SK hynix’s determination to serve as the ultimate total solution provider for the data center industry.