Escaping from Kitchen Game
SK hynix President Park Sung-wook has declared the company will get over the crisis in the memory semiconductor market with new high-tech products such as 10-nano DRAMs and 48-layer 3D NAND flash chips. By strengthening its weak competence in system semiconductors, the company is planning to take the lead in the semiconductor industry, which is overshadowed by a decrease in global memory chip demand and the rise of Chinese memory chip makers.
Park said in his New Year’s message on Jan. 20, “Due to global economic uncertainties such as slow growth in memory chip demand and China’s efforts to promote its memory chip industry, the market conditions this year are tough. We will turn a crisis into an opportunity in 2016 by improving our competitiveness.”
He added, “SK hynix has the strength to break through the game of chicken in the memory chip sector in the last decade.”
According to market research firm IDC, the global DRAM market this year will shrink from US$45.7 billion (55.59 trillion won) to US$38.8 billion (47.2 trillion won), while the global NAND flash market will reduce from US$29.1 billion (35.4 trillion won) to US$26.2 billion (31.87 trillion won) during the same period.
Park said the main goal to overcome the market crisis is to strengthen competitiveness. The company plans to increase mass production of 20-nano class DRAM first and finish the development of 10-nano class DRAM by the end of this year. Moreover, it aims to mass produce 48-layer 3D NAND flash chips, which are currently mass produced only by Samsung Electronics, within the year, and jump into the top class in the NAND flash chip market by beating its competitors, including Toshiba.
In addition, SK hynix will accelerate the technology development of next-generation memory chip products after system semiconductors, DRAM and NAND flash chips this year, said Park. The company is planning to solidify its position as a leading total semiconductor firm by expanding its business structure, which is currently focusing on memory chips, to system semiconductors.