High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), once the darling of data centers and high-performance computing, is now making its debut on the open road. This transition marks a significant milestone in the evolution of automotive technology, particularly in the realm of autonomous driving.
SK Hynix has positioned itself at the forefront of this technological shift. The company’s Vice President, Kang Wook-sung, revealed that their HBM2E memory is currently powering Waymo’s autonomous vehicles. This announcement underscores SK Hynix’s unique position as the sole provider of HBM chips meeting the stringent AEC-Q automotive standards.
The automotive-grade HBM2E from SK Hynix boasts impressive specifications. With an 8GB capacity and 3.2Gbps speed, it delivers a bandwidth of 410GB/s. These numbers translate to enhanced processing power for autonomous vehicles, enabling them to handle the complex computations required for safe and efficient operation.
As autonomous driving technology continues to advance, the demand for higher storage capacity in these systems is expected to surge. Kang Wook-sung projects that L3 autonomous driving systems will require 128GB of DRAM and 1TB of NAND storage, while L4 systems will push these requirements even further to 384GB of DRAM and 4TB of NAND storage.
SK Hynix isn’t resting on its laurels. The company is already working towards obtaining automotive certification for HBM3 memory, signaling its commitment to staying ahead in this rapidly evolving field.
While HBM is making headlines, it’s not the only player in the automotive storage game. UFS has gained traction as a new standard for automotive NAND storage in recent years, and automotive-grade SSDs are beginning to enter the market.
Autonomous vehicles continue to evolve, the memory requirements will undoubtedly keep pace. It seems that in the race towards fully autonomous driving, high-bandwidth memory might just be the fuel that keeps innovation on the fast track.