SK Hynix Inc., stylized SK hynix, is a South Korean semiconductor company that manufactures dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips and flash memory chips. SK Hynix is one of the world's largest semiconductor vendors,[2][3] and along with Samsung Electronics and Micron is one of the "Big Three" memory manufacturers.[4]
Founded in 1983 as Hyundai Electronics, SK Hynix was integrated into the SK Group in 2012 following a series of mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring efforts. After being incorporated into the SK Group, SK Hynix became a major affiliate alongside SK Innovation and SK Telecom.[5]
The company's major customers include Microsoft, Apple,[6] Asus, Dell, MSI, HP Inc., and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (formerly Hewlett-Packard).[2] Other products that use Hynix memory include DVD players, cellular phones, set-top boxes, personal digital assistants, networking equipment, and hard disk drives.[7]
History
Beginning
Hyundai Electronics
Hyundai Electronics was founded in 1983 by Chung Ju-yung, the founder of Hyundai Group. In the early 1980s, Chung recognized the growing importance of electronics in the automobile industry, one of Hyundai's primary business areas. He saw the potential for Hyundai to expand beyond its core operations in automobiles, shipbuilding, and heavy industries and wanted to establish a presence in the promising electronics industry. The company's primary focus was on semiconductor production and industrial electronics.
Hyundai had to pay a very high entry price to set up an efficient production system and to stabilize the yield rate compared to its rival Samsung, who at least had prior experience in semiconductor manufacturing. Hyundai's decision to produce SRAMs was later proven to be a mistake, as the technological sophistication of SRAMs made it difficult for Hyundai to achieve a satisfactory yield rate. In 1985, Hyundai altered its strategy for DRAM manufacturing by subcontracting from foreign firms and importing their chip designs, as it had lost time developing its own chips. Hyundai's DRAM chip, produced by importing Vitelic Corporation's design and technology, again failed in mass production due to a low yield rate.
Corporate governance
As of December 2023
Financials
The key trends for SK Hynixs are (as of the financial year ending 31 December):
Operations
SK Hynix has production facilities in Icheon and Cheongju, South Korea, and in Wuxi, Chongqing and Dalian, China.[44]
Products
Hynix produces a variety of semiconductor memories, including:
- Computing memory
- Consumer and network memory
- Graphics memory
- Mobile memory
- NAND flash memory
- CMOS image sensors
- Solid-state drives (SSDs)
- High Bandwidth Memory: SK Hynix supplies high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips that are used in AI. The company also supplies the HBM3E, a fifth-generation HBM, to Nvidia.[45]
See also
- List of semiconductor fabrication plants
- Semiconductor industry in South Korea
External links
References
- Annual Report englishdart.fss.or.kr, Financial Supervisory Service, December 31, 2023^
- Youkyung Lee. SK Hynix sinks to loss on oversupply, weak demand 26 July 2012, retrieved 11 June 2013^
- Gartner Says Worldwide Semiconductor Revenue Grew 1.1% in 2022