SK Hynix

SK Hynix is a South Korean multinational semiconductor company that specializes in the manufacturing of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips and NAND flash memory chips. The company was founded in 1983 as Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd. and was later renamed as SK Hynix Inc. in 2012 after SK Telecom became the majority shareholder of the company.

Headquartered in Icheon, South Korea, SK Hynix has manufacturing facilities and sales offices in various countries, including the United States, China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and Europe. The company has over 30 years of experience in the semiconductor industry and is considered to be one of the leading suppliers of memory chips in the world.

SK Hynix's product portfolio includes DRAM chips, which are used in computers, servers, and mobile devices, and NAND flash memory chips, which are used in smartphones, digital cameras, USB flash drives, and solid-state drives (SSDs). The company's DRAM chips are available in various densities, ranging from 4GB to 64GB, and are compatible with various interfaces, such as DDR4, DDR5, LPDDR4, and LPDDR5.

SK Hynix is committed to innovation and invests heavily in research and development to improve its products and stay ahead of its competitors. The company has a team of over 5,000 engineers and scientists who work on developing new technologies and products. In addition, SK Hynix has established partnerships with various research institutions and universities to leverage their expertise in semiconductor research.

SK Hynix is also committed to environmental sustainability and operates in an environmentally responsible manner. The company has implemented various measures to reduce its carbon footprint, including the use of renewable energy sources, energy-efficient equipment, and water conservation measures.

As of 2021, SK Hynix is one of the largest semiconductor companies in the world, with a market capitalization of over $90 billion. The company employs over 34,000 people globally and reported revenues of $31.2 billion in 2020. SK Hynix continues to expand its operations and invest in new technologies to maintain its position as a leading supplier of memory chips in the world.

1983: SK Hynix was born in 1983 as the Hyundai empire's answer to Samsung Electronics.

1984: Since the first pilot production of Korea's very first 16Kb SRAM in 1984, SK Hynix has been reinforcing its technological leadership by introducing a series of world's first, smallest, fastest, and lowest-power innovations in the semiconductor industry.

1985: In 1985, SK Hynix had mass production of 256K DRAM and produced the Multifunctional Phone LX-2.

1986: SK Hynix started to focus on B2C clients through its Hyundai Blue Chip PC in 1986. The company also manufactured car radios, developed CMOS type 256K EPROM, and started the production of a key phone-based private switchboard, PABXHX50.

1987: In 1987, the company developed the 4th generation switchboard HX-400 and partnered with MOS Electronic Co. to develop the 256K SRAM. It also launched a satellite broadcasting receiver during the same time.

1988: Hyundai came with the automatic answering machine and established its European corporation, HEE, in 1988. At that time, it was at the top in the export of PCs in South Korea.

1989: Hyundai became the first company to export PCs to Japan in 1989.

1990: In 1990, the company mass-produced cameras and started to export them to the US. Along with that, it established the HEA Semiconductor and Computer R&D Center and also started to develop bps Pagers and 1M DRAM, becoming the first company in Korea to do that.

1991: Hyundai developed the smallest and the lightest mobile phone in South Korea in 1991.

1993: The company acquired Maxtor (US HDD manufacturer) and also developed the CD autochanger in 1993.

1996: SK Hynix had its initial public offering on the Korea Stock Exchange.

1999: Hyundai acquired a large stockholder's share of LG Semiconductor and merged into LG's LG Electronics division in 1999.

2000: In 2000, there was a spin-off in the company, forming Hyundai Image Quest, Hyundai Autonet, and Hyundai Calibration & Certification Technologies. Additionally, SK Hynix developed CD-VISION 2000, car CD auto changer, acquired ISO 9002 on computer category, took over Maxtor (US HDD manufacturer), and developed 1M Fast SRAM.

2005: SK Hynix emerged from Corporate Restructuring Promotion Act ahead of schedule.

2006: In January 2006, SK Hynix posted record revenue and profit for the year and developed the fastest memory module based on 'Wafer Level Package' technology.

2007: Jong-Kap Kim was appointed as the new chairman & CEO in 2007.

2009: The company was put up for sale by its lenders after it defaulted on loans and a subsequent debt-equity swap.

2010: In January 2010, SK Hynix was put up for sale in an auction valued at close to $3 billion. The same year, the company received a fine of €51.47 million for illegally fixing prices with eight other memory chip makers.

2018: Lee Seok-Hee has served as the President and CEO of SK Hynix Inc since 2018.

2019: In April 2019, SK Hynix won the Grand Prize of Water Security 2019 awarded by CDP and started to sample "PE8000" series, the Company's newest and most advanced line-up of eSSDs.

Hynix's stated purpose, as expressed by the company itself, is to work towards a future in which all stakeholders and members of society are able to achieve shared growth. To achieve this goal, the company has been implementing a system of new brand identity that is designed to position SK Hynix at the forefront of advanced technology, with the aim of becoming a major contributor to building a better world.

Hynix has stated that their company's vision involves keeping in mind the affection and encouragement received from customers and striving to surpass their expectations to establish SK Hynix as a source of pride. The company recognizes that their success is not possible without the support and trust of their customers and other stakeholders.

DRAM: SK Hynix is one of the world's largest producers of DRAM, used in various applications such as PCs, laptops, servers, and mobile devices.

NAND Flash: SK Hynix produces NAND flash memory, used in various storage devices such as solid-state drives (SSDs), memory cards, and USB flash drives.

NOR Flash: SK Hynix produces NOR flash memory, used in various applications such as automotive, industrial, and consumer electronics.

Multi-Chip Packages: SK Hynix produces multi-chip packages, which combine multiple chips such as DRAM, NAND flash, and NOR flash into a single package.

System IC: SK Hynix produces system integrated circuits (ICs), which are used in various applications such as mobile phones, digital cameras, and automotive electronics.

CMOS Image Sensors: SK Hynix produces CMOS image sensors, used in various applications such as mobile phones, digital cameras, and security systems.

SSD Solutions: SK Hynix offers solid-state drive (SSD) solutions for various applications such as enterprise, data center, and consumer.

Embedded Memory: SK Hynix produces embedded memory, which is used in various applications such as automotive, industrial, and mobile devices.

HBM: SK Hynix produces high-bandwidth memory (HBM), used in various applications such as graphics processing units (GPUs) and high-performance computing (HPC) systems.

Memory Modules: SK Hynix produces memory modules such as dual inline memory modules (DIMMs) and small outline dual inline memory modules (SODIMMs), used in various applications such as servers, workstations, and gaming PCs.

Design Services: SK Hynix offers design services to assist customers in the development of customized memory solutions for their specific needs.