FADU said on the 23rd that it has hired Kim Jin-su, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Seoul National University, as chief research officer (CRO). The company plans to speed up development of next-generation storage systems optimized for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers through the addition of Kim as CRO.
Kim, the CRO, is an expert who has researched computer architecture and system software in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Seoul National University. Kim has a track record of outstanding industry-academia collaboration on both large-scale storage software and system design, including playing a key role in developing Naver File System.
Kim, the CRO, said, "FADU is a corporations whose technology has already been validated in the global AI data center ecosystem," adding, "From the perspective of computer architecture and system software, I want to open new possibilities for next-generation storage together."
FADU recorded more than 150 billion won in orders in the first quarter alone with products such as the "PCIe 5th-generation (Gen5) controller," which serves as the brain of data storage devices. The company has also completed development of the 6th-generation controller, and related revenue is expected to begin in the second half of the year.
The company said, "We are preparing the next step, building on the results of our solid-state drive (SSD) business," adding, "We will grow beyond simply supplying SSD controllers to become a comprehensive storage solutions corporations that designs and provides the entire storage architecture optimized for AI workloads." The company added, "Kim, the CRO, is set to play a key role in this strategy."
The research team led by Kim, the CRO, has begun developing next-generation storage systems and dedicated SSDs tailored for AI data centers. FADU plans to develop solutions that address the large-capacity, ultra-high-speed, and high-efficiency demands of AI workloads that existing general-purpose storage products do not meet, using a hardware-software co-design approach. The goal is to unveil the first proof of concept (POC) within the year.
Nam Lee-hyun, CEO of FADU, said, "The technology and market trust we have built in enterprise SSDs are now translating into tangible business results," adding, "It is meaningful to embark on a new challenge—AI data center storage—together with Kim, the CRO."