South Korea’s SK Hynix has simultaneously secured international certifications in two fields—industrial functional safety and automotive cybersecurity—for its low-power DRAM “LPDDR5X.” The move reflects a strategy to leverage the reliability of its memory semiconductors to target the so-called “physical AI” market, in which AI directly makes judgments and moves within the physical world, such as in robots and self-driving cars.
SK Hynix said on the 11th that its LPDDR5X DRAM received Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 3 certification under “IEC 61508,” the international standard for industrial functional safety. It also obtained certification of a cybersecurity management system (CSMS) based on “ISO/SAE 21434,” the international standard for automotive cybersecurity. Both were audited by global certification body SGS-TUV Saar.
IEC 61508 is an international standard that evaluates safety to ensure that industrial electrical and electronic systems do not escalate into dangerous accidents even when they fail. Levels are divided into stages 1 through 4, and the SIL 3 obtained this time is regarded as the highest level a single memory semiconductor can reach. In particular, the design and verification were carried out so that the product can be applied to robot control, a field that requires maintaining a safe state continuously while equipment is in operation.
The automotive cybersecurity certification assesses whether a system is in place to respond to external attacks such as hacking. The company was judged to meet international standards for security procedures spanning everything from the product design stage to production and vulnerability management. Because automobiles must manage cybersecurity risks across their entire lifecycle from development to disposal, the response systems of memory suppliers are also subject to verification.
With these certifications, SK Hynix has completed an international certification portfolio covering functional safety, cybersecurity, and information security. The company previously obtained ASIL-D, the highest safety integrity level under ISO 26262, the international standard for automotive functional safety, and in early last year became the first in the memory industry to secure TISAX, the global automotive industry information security certification. With the addition of industrial functional safety and automotive cybersecurity, the company has laid the groundwork to expand its scope of application beyond automobiles to industries at large, including robots and smart factories.
SK Hynix emphasizes that it obtained certification not only for the finished LPDDR5X product but also for the overall product development process. The company says it has established a system that can consistently apply functional safety requirements to products currently in mass production as well as those to be developed in the future. It plans to leverage its low-power, high-performance characteristics to meet the functional safety requirements of customers developing robot platforms and system-on-chips (SoCs).
Kim Jong-hwan, vice president of SK Hynix and head of the DRAM Development Division, said, “As the physical AI market blossoms, safety and security systems that conform to international standards are becoming increasingly important in the memory development process as well.” He added, “Based on safety and security capabilities proven across the automotive and industrial sectors, we will solidify our leadership in full-stack AI memory, including robots, edge AI, and autonomous driving.”
Physical AI refers to technology in which AI directly makes judgments and moves in the real world, such as robots and self-driving cars. Because a small error or external hack can lead directly to fatal accidents, the safety and security of not only the processor that serves as the brain but also the memory semiconductors that carry data are emerging as core requirements. Industry observers expect that as demand for semiconductors for robots, autonomous driving, and smart factories grows, holding functional safety certifications will become a prerequisite for component adoption.
These certifications show that the axis of competition among memory companies is expanding from capacity and speed to reliability and security. SK Hynix is a memory semiconductor company that produces high-bandwidth memory (HBM), DRAM, and NAND flash, and has been broadening its position in the AI semiconductor market. The company’s major international certifications are as follows.
CategoryInternational StandardCertification DetailsFunctional Safety (Automotive)ISO 26262ASIL-D, highest levelFunctional Safety (Industrial)IEC 61508SIL 3 (highest level for a single memory)Cybersecurity (Automotive)ISO/SAE 21434Cybersecurity Management System (CSMS)Information Security (Automotive Industry)TISAXFirst in the memory industry to obtain
Note: The cybersecurity management system and industrial functional safety certifications were obtained through audits by SGS-TUV Saar.
The autonomous driving and robotics sectors tend to require proof of safety integrity at the component level, as accidents are directly linked to loss of life. If a memory supplier secures certification at the development-process level as well, finished-product manufacturers can reduce the burden of separate verification and simplify designs. That is why observers expect SK Hynix to launch full-scale certification-based sales targeting demand for low-power DRAM for robots and edge AI.
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