[Tech Day 2022] The Power of Collaborative Partnerships for Future Solutions

Samsung Memory’s DNA In a highly interconnected, rapidly evolving world, the IT industry must focus its efforts on anticipating changes and preparing necessary solutions. Against this ever-changing backdrop, Samsung has remained No. 1 in the memory industry for 30 years running with solutions that expand the potential of its partners’ products. At Samsung Memory Tech Day in October, for the first time ever, Samsung revealed the secret behind its solutions’ convenient and varied user experience. The secret stems from Samsung’s unique experience and philosophy towards collaboration. Samsung’s relationships with global industry leaders have made its memory business what it is today. This includes the relationship between Samsung’s founder, Lee Byung-chul, and Apple’s founder, Steve Jobs, who visited Korea in 1983, before Apple had even launched its memory business. It also includes 1985’s High Technology Agreement with Robert Noyce, the so-called “Mayor of Silicon Valley” and co-founder of semiconductor industry leader Intel, as well as various other visits and collaborations with CEOs such as Mark Zuckerberg. The Samsung Memory Index, Samsung’s proprietary tool for predicting changes in the market, includes insights gained through networking and collaborating with over 900 partners. This empowers data-based decision making, surpassing the advanced technology that enabled DRAM and NAND, the two pillars of memory. The Samsung DNA that produces such diverse applications is continuously evolving through in-depth discussions with partner companies.

Collaboration is key With the growth of artificial intelligence and a continuous increase in data, demands on computing systems are more challenging than ever. Accordingly, demand for high-speed memory and higher capacities has never been so strong. However, satisfying the needs of industries that cannot accommodate the ongoing rise in power consumption can be complicated. Which is why memory development as a whole has faced many difficulties when it comes to meeting industry requirements that are growing more and more sophisticated. In such a situation, Samsung’s accumulated partnerships turned this crisis into an opportunity. Samsung strengthened its quality management process by actively listening to partners’ feedback and adopting a hand-in-hand approach to system-level evaluations and verification processes. Collaborating with companies that may have different goals or values is not always easy. However, the synergy fostered by such collaborations can eventually form the backbone of a healthy IT ecosystem that benefits everyone. A New Solution, Platform, and Business Model According to industry analysts, as of 2021, more than 1,300 exabytes (EB) of data was being stored in data centers – a figure that continues to rapidly grow. However, since the invention of the modern computer in the 1940s, the IT industry has relied on a structure similar to the von Neumann architecture that was first introduced in 1945. Nearly 80 years later, that architecture faces several limitations in the Big Data era, and therefore requires modifications. Because no one can implement those changes by themselves, cooperation is essential. In the spirit of progress and innovation, Samsung spares no effort to establish a new standard for the industry, both through investment and by collaborating on cutting-edge solutions to key challenges. Examples of this include introduction of various first-of-their-kind solutions, such as CXL-based memory products, as well as participation in the Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express (UCIe) Consortium, which helped lead the movement for package-level integration. Samsung has also laid the foundation for open innovation with its proposal to launch a new platform – SMRCs (Samsung Memory Research Centers), where Samsung’s clients and partners can test and verify the system level by applying OS and applications beyond the board level. Lastly, Samsung actively explores opportunities to enhance its business model to contribute not just to the industry but to humanity itself. Because many partners have been finding it difficult to deal with memory and storage once they reach the end of their life cycle, Samsung has been exploring ways to apply its technology to extend product life through recycling and resource circulation. In doing so, Samsung aims to reduce carbon emissions across the world and realize a future embodied by the idea of creating technology makes technology more sustainable. The memory landscape is constantly changing, and its challenges are becoming more and more complex. Through it all, with new partnerships and collaborations, Samsung’s DNA will continue to evolve to overcome such limitations through trial and error. As an industry leader and pioneer with new solutions, new platforms, and a new business model, Samsung looks forward to creating a better ecosystem for all.