SK hynix Inc. announced today that it has received the automotive ASPICE Level 2 certification, marking the first case that a Korean semiconductor company wins the recognition. The certification, essential for automotive NAND solution products, is expected to lead to an increased supply and stronger profitability of the company's NAND solution products such as Universal Flash Memory and Solid State Drive, of which combined market is expected to grow by more than an average 20% every year, the company said.

With introduction and adoption of electric vehicles and autonomous driving system, the importance of technology in the areas of electric and electronic parts of vehicles is also growing. Particularly, with systems for Advanced Driver Assistance System and Infotainment getting more sophisticated, the importance of software quality management as well as compatibility and stability is growing, requiring auto part suppliers to obtain the ASPICE Level 2 or the equivalent.To win the certification, SK hynix combined its digital transformation technology with Siemens' certification solution, which helped result in optimization and success of a stable and efficient system for the overall research and development process ranging from design of software for vehicles and engineering of products to workflow.

The latest achievement follows obtainment of an ISO 26262: 2018 FSM (Functional Safety Management) in November 2021 as SK hynix continues to deliver accomplishments in the automotive memory business with commitment to safety and reliability. SK hynix will now aim for the ASPICE Level 3 certification with a more advanced software development process.

"Our achievement comes at a time when product competitiveness of automotive memory solution is more important than ever," Ahn Hyun, head of solution development, said. "We will aim higher and continue our efforts for development and stronger product competitiveness of automotive memory chips."