Samsung and SK Hynix Accelerate LPDDR6 PIM Memory

According to BusinessKorea, South Korea's leading memory chip manufacturers, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, are teaming up to develop standardized LPDDR6 memory with Processing In Memory (PIM) technology. This collaboration aims to accelerate the standardization of low-power DRAM tailored for artificial intelligence (AI) applications, in line with the growing trend of on-device AI.

The two companies believe a partnership is essential for commercializing the next generation of DRAM. Currently, their collaboration is in its early stages, focusing on initial efforts to register PIM-based LPDDR6 memory under JEDEC standards. They are discussing the appropriate specifications for various standardization projects. LPDDR memory with PIM requires special technical considerations, such as "internal bandwidth," in contrast to the traditional memory design that emphasizes "external bandwidth" between processors and memory.

A Samsung representative confirmed that both companies are exchanging views and working together on product standardization. While the collaboration is in its infancy, they are developing a timeline and implementation plan for the standardization goals.

This partnership is particularly noteworthy due to the fierce competition between Samsung and SK Hynix in the memory market, as both companies have long vied for dominance in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) sector. Despite their rivalry, they both view PIM technology as a key driver for future growth, with ongoing efforts to develop related products. However, significant commercialization progress has yet to be achieved. Samsung previously launched PIM-enabled HBM and LPDDR5 products, seeking standardization, but with limited success. SK Hynix also unveiled a GDDR6-PIM solution, although it was largely symbolic. The differences in concepts and specifications, driven by each company's unique standards, have hindered the adoption of a universal PIM standard. This is why the two companies have opted to cooperate on standardization before launching their PIM products.

The rise of on-device AI is accelerating the commercialization of PIM memory. On-device AI refers to AI computation performed within devices like smartphones, offering advantages over cloud-based AI services such as ChatGPT, including enhanced security and lower latency. As a result, on-device AI is gaining increasing attention. When PIM technology is implemented, data movement between processors and memory is reduced, leading to significant power savings compared to traditional memory systems.

Market research firm MarketsandMarkets predicts that the global on-device AI market will grow at an average annual rate of 37.7%, reaching $173.9 billion (228 trillion Korean won) by 2030. This highlights the strategic importance of Samsung and SK Hynix's collaboration on the standardization and commercialization of next-generation memory technologies.