Neck and Neck... Samsung and SK Go All Out in 'CXL Supergap' Competition

AI·Machine Learning and Big Data Era 'Customized' Interface
Foundry Market Potential High, but Memory Demand Surge Also Considered
Betting on Future Momentum Products Over Immediate Cash Cows

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The competition for CXL (Compute Express Link) 'super-gap' between Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which together hold 70% of the global memory semiconductor market share, has ignited. CXL is a next-generation interface used not only for memory but also for various solutions such as GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) accelerators, and is regarded as a 'game changer' that dramatically enhances memory capacity and data processing capabilities.

According to the semiconductor industry on the 23rd, Samsung Electronics announced on its blog on the 20th that it will showcase next-generation technologies such as 'CXL-based PNM (Processing Near Memory)' under the title 'Samsung Electronics Semiconductor Reveals Advanced Memory Technology for Next-Generation AI.' CXL is an essential solution to handle the era of ultra-large AI that requires massive amounts of data, and related standards have also been established. This announcement coincides with Samsung's plan, revealed at the 'Samsung Tech Day 2022' held in Silicon Valley, USA, on the 5th (local time), to upgrade its DRAM process to the 5th generation 10-nanometer class next year to strengthen production capacity, which is expected to create significant synergy.

Not to be outdone, SK Hynix also announced on the 19th that it has succeeded in developing the industry's first 'CXL CMS (Computational Memory Solution).' Developed jointly with SK Telecom, this CMS provides machine learning and data filtering computation functions and is expected to be useful in processing big data analytics applications. The CMS developed by SK is expected to create synergy with CXL, which features increased memory capacity. Using CXL, attaching memory cards like GPUs or SSDs (Solid State Drives) can easily expand system memory capacity.

Because of these characteristics of CXL, the industry views CXL not as an immediate cash cow but as a momentum 'material' that will change future paradigms. Previously, the massive data capacity was handled by the CPU (Central Processing Unit) within the device, but by imparting some 'system semiconductor' characteristics to memory semiconductors, this load is distributed. An industry insider explained, "The reason for accelerating CXL development is ultimately due to the exploding demand for 'big data,'" adding, "There is widespread awareness that the existing computing architecture, where the CPU handles all capacity, has its limits."

The memory semiconductor industry is putting its life on the line to create various additional products applying CXL. Due to global inflation causing a sharp drop in consumer demand and prices plummeting, they must overcome the crisis head-on with 'super-gap' new products. Observing the recent 1 year and 5 months trend, Samsung leads and SK follows.

Samsung Electronics developed the world's first 'CXL-based' DRAM technology on May 11 last year, and exactly one year later, on May 10, it produced a CXL DRAM product with a capacity increased fourfold to 512 gigabytes (GB). Not to be outdone, SK Hynix developed the industry's first DDR5 (Double Data Rate 5) DRAM-based CXL memory sample on August 1. Although it is a sample and not a finished product, it attracted industry attention because it applied the CXL interface to the latest DDR5 DRAM rather than general DRAM. On August 3 (local time), both companies participated side by side at the US Flash Memory Summit (FMS) to showcase CXL products, with Samsung's 'CXL Memory Semantic SSD' solution drawing attention. This product improves response speed by 20 times when performing tasks using AI, ML, etc., compared to existing SSDs.

The industry maintains that it will continue to focus on developing CXL, which is easy to be compatible with various DRAM products and works well with AI and machine learning. An industry insider emphasized, "CXL is an innovative interface that can change the next-generation memory paradigm and is an essential solution in the 'big data era,' where relying solely on the CPU carries significant risks," adding, "(Regardless of the recent recession) it is a path that memory semiconductor companies must take and a field they must win."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.