SK Hynix announced on the 18th that it has completed the development of its high-capacity solid state drive (SSD) product for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, called "PS1012 U.2" (PS1012).
With the emergence of the AI market, demand for high-performance corporation SSDs (eSSDs) has surged rapidly, and quad-level cell (QLC) technology capable of implementing this in high capacity has become the industry standard. SK Hynix explained that in line with this trend, it has developed and showcased a 61 terabyte (TB) product utilizing this technology.
The PS1012 applies the latest PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) generation 5 interface, doubling the bandwidth compared to the fourth generation products. The data transfer speed reaches 32 gigatransfers per second (GT/s), and the sequential read performance stands at 13 gigabytes per second (GB/s), twice the level of previous specifications. Additionally, the product has been developed to support the Open Compute Project (OCP) version 2.0, enhancing compatibility with various data center server devices for global AI customers.
SK Hynix plans to supply new product samples to global server manufacturers within the year for product evaluation and aims to expand the product line to 122TB by the third quarter of next year. Furthermore, to overcome the capacity limits of eSSDs, the company will also develop a 244TB product based on the world’s highest 321-layer 4D NAND, which was developed last month.
Earlier, SK Hynix, centered on its subsidiary Solidigm, which commercialized QLC-based eSSDs for the first time in the world, is targeting the AI data center SSD market. SK Hynix noted that this development of PS1012 will establish a balanced SSD portfolio and maximize synergies between the two companies.
An Hyun, Chief Development Officer (CDO) of SK Hynix, said, "We will establish a growth foundation to leap forward as a full-stack AI memory provider by meeting the diverse needs of AI data center customers based on our high competitiveness in the eSSD sector."