SK Hynix has received international recognition for the quality of its automotive memory solutions and is poised to improve profitability in line with the growing automotive semiconductor market.

SK Hynix announced on the 20th that it has obtained Automotive SPICE (ASPICE) Level 2 (CL2, Capability Level 2) certification.

ASPICE (Automotive Software Process Improvement & Capability dEtermination) is an automotive software development standard established by the European automobile industry to evaluate the reliability and capability of the software development process of automotive parts manufacturers.

The company emphasized, “Based on our excellent technological prowess and process management capabilities, we have obtained essential certifications for our automotive NAND solution products and have been recognized for our competitiveness.” They added, “Through this certification, we will increase the supply of our NAND solution products, such as UFS (Universal Flash Memory) and SSD (Solid State Drive), to the automotive semiconductor market, which is expected to grow by more than 20% annually, and increase profitability.”

Recently, with the spread of electric vehicles and the development of autonomous driving systems, the importance of technological prowess in the field of electrical equipment (electrical and electronic equipment inside a vehicle) is increasing in the automobile industry.

In particular, as ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) and infotainment systems become more advanced, software quality along with compatibility/stability between systems and components is also important. The importance of management has increased. Consequently, automotive parts suppliers are now required to obtain ASPICE Level 2 or higher certification, recognized in the European market.

To secure this certification, SK Hynix integrated the certification solution from Siemens, Germany's largest electrical and electronics company, into its digital transformation (DT) technology.

Through this, the company successfully achieved certification by optimizing the entire R&D process, including vehicle software design, product engineering, and workflow, into a stable and efficient system.

SK Hynix has been making various R&D achievements in the automotive memory field, where safety and quality reliability are important, such as obtaining ISO 26262: 2018 FSM (Functional Safety Management) certification, the international standard for functional safety of automotive memory semiconductors, in November 2021.

SK Hynix plans to further enhance its software development process and secure ASPICE Level 3 certification.

SK Hynix Vice President Hyun Ahn (Solution Development) said, “At a time when the quality competitiveness of automotive memory solutions has become more important than ever, we are pleased to have obtained certification adopted by global automakers,” and “We will continue to strive to develop automotive memory semiconductors and enhance their quality.”