The first standard specification for high bandwidth flash, or HBF, a next-generation storage technology, released by SK hynix in collaboration with SanDisk through the Open Compute ProjectSK HYNIX
SK hynix and SanDisk have unveiled the first standard specification for high bandwidth flash (HBF), a next-generation storage technology, on Tuesday.
SK hynix unveiled the HBF specification at the Future of Memory and Storage 2026 conference, the world's largest memory industry event, held from Tuesday to Thursday in Santa Clara, California.
HBF is a new memory tier positioned between high bandwidth memory (HBM) and solid-state drives (SSD). The technology combines HBM's high bandwidth with NAND flash's large storage capacity, which makes it suitable for handling massive AI workloads.
The specification marks the first result of the companies' standardization efforts, about six months after SK hynix and SanDisk launched an HBF consortium in February. The two companies first agreed to collaborate on HBF standardization in August last year.
The standard supports capacities of up to 512GB using two architectures that stack 8 or 16 NAND dies, or individual semiconductor chips cut from a wafer.
It also defines three performance grades with data transfer speeds ranging from approximately 0.4TB per second to 3TB per second.
The specification adopts the industry-standard Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express interface to connect processors with HBF. The adaptation ensures compatibility with a wide range of processors, such as graphics processing units and central processing units.
The companies released the specification through the Open Compute Project, the world's largest open data center technology consortium.
The logo of SK hynix is seen during a public briefing on the development vision for advanced industry held in Gwangju on June 30.REUTERS/YONHAP
SK hynix also plans to expand the AI storage ecosystem. Google and Canadian AI chipmaker Tenstorrent are currently participating in the HBF consortium, but SK hynix plans to bring more companies into the consortium to further improve the technology and broaden market adoption.
The Korean chipmaker will showcase HBF as a key technology for addressing memory bottlenecks in the AI era at the conference in California.
The company will also debut its 10th-generation 375-layer 4D NAND wafer for AI infrastructure. SK hynix plans to begin mass production of enterprise SSDs built on the new NAND technology early next year.
“With the rapid spread of AI applications, we are at a point where overall data processing structures must be redesigned,” SK hynix Executive Vice President Kim Chun-sung said in a press release on Tuesday. “Through HBF, SK hynix will expand the boundaries between memory and storage and contribute to building new architectures that enhance overall system efficiency.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
