SK hynix announced on the 19th that it has obtained ASIL-D, the highest grade of the international safety certification ISO 26262, for its automotive memory product, LPDDR5X DRAM. With this certification, SK hynix has been officially recognized not only for the performance of its automotive memory but also for its safety and reliability.

ASIL-D is the highest safety grade applied to systems directly related to the lives of vehicle occupants. The global certification body TÜV SÜD grants this grade after comprehensively evaluating stability across the entire process, including development, design, verification, and quality management.

LPDDR5X DRAM is a high-performance, low-power memory used in autonomous vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and in-vehicle infotainment. It is designed to stably handle large volumes of data and minimize system errors even in a Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) environment, in which key components are controlled by software.

As the number of electronic devices in vehicles has recently increased, even minor errors can affect safety. Accordingly, beyond simple performance competition, functional safety—capabilities that prevent accidents and detect errors in advance—has emerged as a key factor that determines product competitiveness.

For this product, SK hynix designed it to operate stably even under extreme temperatures and incorporated functions that automatically detect and correct errors. It also balanced power efficiency and data processing speed to further enhance safety and reliability.

TÜV SÜD conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the product’s safety design, error diagnosis functions, and quality management system. As a result, it recognized that SK hynix’s development and verification processes conform to international automotive industry standards.

SK hynix plans to use this certification as a springboard to further strengthen its product competitiveness, combining safety and reliability in the memory market for autonomous vehicles and future mobility.

The share of electronic devices in vehicles already exceeds 40%. Due to this, certification under ISO 26262, the international functional safety standard, has now become a basic requirement rather than an option.

This standard is an international guideline established to prevent accidents caused by failures in automotive electronic systems. ASIL grades are categorized from A to D based on the magnitude of risk in the event of a failure (severity), the likelihood of the failure occurring (exposure), and the extent to which the driver can avoid the risk (controllability). Systems where safety is critical, such as autonomous driving systems, require the highest grade, ASIL-D.

In line with this trend, SK hynix built its automotive LPDDR5X DRAM lineup at an early stage and completed the certification process in a timely manner. To achieve ASIL-D, it is necessary to predict and respond not only to defects that may occur during development and manufacturing, but also to random failures that may arise as components age during use.

SK hynix has established a Functional Safety Management (FSM) system that integrally manages all stages from development to mass production, documenting and managing all data in a procedural manner. The company also strictly manages failure metrics (SPFM, LFM, PMHF) to meet the levels required for ASIL-D.

In this process, SK hynix adopted ECC designs that automatically correct data errors, designs with redundant repair circuits, and diagnostic systems that send alerts when failures occur.

This certification not only signifies that SK hynix has elevated its technological capabilities, but also that it has strengthened its position as a trusted partner for global automobile manufacturers.

SK hynix plans to continue developing automotive memory with enhanced safety and efficiency and to grow into a core company leading the era of autonomous driving and future mobility.

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