SK hynix attains Aspice Level 2 certification

The logo of SK Hynix is seen at its headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi [REUTERS/YONHAP]

SK hynix won an international certification designed to assess the quality of automotive software development, the company announced Tuesday.

The Korean chip producer said it had attained Aspice Level 2 certification, making it the first Korean semiconductor maker to achieve the distinction.

Aspice, which stands for Automotive Software Process Improvement & Capability Determination, is a guideline for automotive software development that was introduced by European carmakers to evaluate the reliability and capabilities of auto part suppliers.

Level 2 means the maker can reliably deliver products that meet Aspice standards. Many automakers require suppliers to have Level 2 certification or above.

The company partnered up with Siemens to earn this certification, combining its digital transformation technology with Siemens’ certification solution.

The certification is considered essential for automotive NAND solution products and expected to increase supply and stronger profitability for the company’s NAND solution products such as Universal Flash Memory and Solid State Drive, the combined market share of which could grow an average of 20 percent every year, SK hynix said.

SK hynix now aims to acquire Aspice Level 3 certification, indicating more centralized processes to meet standards at the company level.

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

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]