“Like the company has persisted in developing HBM, confident in its value, I too will continue to devote efforts to developing next-generation AI memory technology to lead the rapidly changing AI era,” said Son Ho-young, vice president of SK Hynix, on Feb. 27, expressing his thoughts and ambitions about taking on a significant role with the advent of the AI era.
Vice President Son played a crucial role in the development of HBM, which has recently garnered intense interest across the semiconductor industry. He led the development from the initial stages of introducing TSV, known as the core technology of HBM, and SK Hynix’s proprietary technology MR-MUF, thereby significantly contributing to strengthening the company’s leadership in AI memory technology.
“The biggest achievement personally, beyond the company’s contribution, is the development of the first-generation HBM about a decade ago,” Son emphasized. “Despite numerous trial and error, not giving up and turning crises into opportunities allowed us to successfully develop the current fifth-generation HBM3E and advanced packaging technologies.”
He argued that the persevering spirit of not giving up, shown so far, is necessary in the coming AI era. The future will unfold with numerous unforeseen challenges and failures, and overcoming these to achieve innovation is crucial.
“Like the company has persisted with the development of HBM, confident in its value, I am committed to devoting my efforts to developing next-generation AI memory technology to lead the rapidly changing AI era,” Son said to declare his determination.
Vice President Son noted that SK hynix’s role is also gradually changing in the rapidly evolving AI era. It is necessary to position beyond a simple product supplier to a “Total AI Memory Provider.”
“When we developed advanced packaging technology last year, a single organization handled the integration work with process technology,” he said. “While this approach can reduce trial and error in the early stages of development, as technology becomes more sophisticated and diversified, it shows weaknesses in efficiency and expertise. To develop AI memory customized for each customer, flexibility and scalability of technology become important, necessitating a departure from traditional approaches.”
Son observed that as AI technology is utilized across various fields, the hardware to implement it is also becoming diversified. “To proactively respond to this trend, we plan to subdivide existing organizations and enhance expertise in each,” he stated.
“For implementing diverse AI, the characteristics of AI memory also need to become more varied,” he explained. “Our goal is to have a variety of advanced packaging technologies capable of responding to these changes. We plan to provide differentiated solutions that can meet any customer needs.”
Asked about his ambitions as a new executive, Vice President Son expressed his desire to create an environment where members can fully unleash their creativity and grow. He particularly emphasized the importance of expanding outreach through various exchanges with academia and the industry.
“While immediate results are important, securing technological capability from a long-term perspective is even more crucial,” he reflected. “When I first developed TSV technology and HBM, I received a lot of help through exchanges with academia in a free environment, which became a significant asset to me.”
He expressed hope that such a culture would take root in the organization he currently oversees. “Our members are already excellent, but I want to help them become global No. 1 engineers through exchanges with the outside world,” Son said. “Creating an environment and culture where members can freely pursue what they want and grow together is our most important goal.”
Finally, Vice President Son emphasized that the happiness of the employees is of utmost importance.