South Korean chipmaker SK hynix Inc. and Naver Cloud Corp. have formed a partnership to enhance their artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, signing an MOU on Tuesday, according to Yonhap News Agency. The agreement will see the two companies work together to test and refine next-generation AI memory and storage products in real data center environments, combining SK hynix’s advanced semiconductor technologies with Naver Cloud’s infrastructure.
The collaboration is aimed at speeding up the adoption of next-generation technologies such as Compute Express Link (CXL), processing-in-memory (PIM), and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). By running pilot tests in Naver Cloud’s active data centers, the companies plan to fine-tune system performance for large-scale AI operations, helping them address the surging demand for advanced chips in the age of big data and generative AI.
Under the agreement, SK hynix will validate its AI-focused memory products, including Processing-in-Memory (PIM) and Compute Express Link (CXL), within Naver Cloud’s large-scale data centers. These tests will be conducted under real-time and diverse workload conditions to measure performance and reliability in commercial environments.
Naver Cloud, for its part, will adapt and optimize its software stack to SK hynix’s latest hardware. By doing so, the company aims to enhance the efficiency of its graphics processing units (GPUs), deliver faster response times for AI services, and lower operating expenses. Both sides expect these improvements to benefit customers using high-demand AI applications.
The partnership comes at a time when the rapid spread of generative AI has sharply increased data usage and the costs of AI inference. Industry observers note that meeting these challenges requires not only greater memory bandwidth and capacity but also close coordination between hardware and software. By joining forces, SK hynix and Naver Cloud hope to offer more efficient and cost-effective AI infrastructure.
Company executives highlighted the strategic importance of the deal. “The competitiveness of AI services is determined by optimization across the entire data center infrastructure,” said Naver Cloud CEO Kim Yu-won. “Through this partnership with a leading global AI memory company, we will deliver stronger infrastructure and more innovative services to customers.”
As part of the cooperation, the two firms will pursue joint research projects, file patent applications, and present their results at international AI forums. These initiatives are intended to showcase Korea’s growing strength in next-generation memory and cloud solutions while also broadening commercial opportunities overseas.
Analysts say the partnership could give SK hynix a stronger foothold in securing deals with major cloud providers, including Google, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services. While processing-in-memory (PIM) technology is still at an early stage and Compute Express Link (CXL) is moving closer to standardization, collaborations of this kind are expected to speed up commercialization and bolster South Korea’s competitiveness in the global AI hardware market.
