SK Hynix and SanDisk Unveil First Standard Specification for High Bandwidth Flash (HBF)
SK Hynix announced on August 4th that it has jointly released the first standard specification for High Bandwidth Flash (HBF), a next-generation storage technology, with SanDisk. HBF is positioned as a new storage tier between High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and solid-state drives (SSDs). It offers high-speed data transfer capabilities similar to HBM while significantly increasing capacity by leveraging NAND flash memory. This released standard specification is the first outcome after SK Hynix and SanDisk initiated HBF standardization cooperation in August of the previous year and established an alliance in February of the current year, with the development taking approximately six months. The specification defines two capacity configurations, utilizing stacked 8-layer and 16-layer NAND chips, supporting up to 512GB of capacity. It also establishes bandwidth standards across three grades (Grade 1 to 3), with data transfer capabilities ranging from approximately 0.4 TB/s to 3.0 TB/s.
The joint release of the HBF standard specification by SK Hynix and SanDisk signifies a strategic move to establish a new category in the memory hierarchy, aiming to bridge the performance gap between high-speed but lower-capacity HBM and high-capacity but slower SSDs. This initiative could reshape data center and high-performance computing architectures by offering a more balanced solution for demanding workloads. The standardization effort, involving key industry players, aims to foster ecosystem development and interoperability, potentially accelerating adoption. As AI and data-intensive applications continue to grow, the market for such innovative storage solutions is expected to expand, presenting both opportunities and competitive challenges for memory manufacturers.
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