SK Hynix and SanDisk Unveil High Bandwidth Flash Specs
SK Hynix and SanDisk have published the first technical specification for High Bandwidth Flash, a promising standard that focuses on capacity over raw speed. The solution defines capacities up to 512GB and performance grades from 0.4TB/s to 3.0TB/s. Google and Tenstorrent have joined the consortium, but Nvidia is not a participant. Samples are expected in early 2027, but the technology remains on paper.
Key points
- SK Hynix and SanDisk have published the first technical specification for High Bandwidth Flash through the Open Compute Project.
- The specification defines capacities up to 512GB and performance grades from 0.4TB/s to 3.0TB/s.
- Google and Tenstorrent have joined the consortium, while Nvidia is not a participant.
- Samples of AI inference devices built with HBF are expected to show up in early 2027.
- The technology currently exists only on paper, with no concrete timeline for commercial availability.
SK Hynix and SanDisk have made a significant step forward in the development of High Bandwidth Flash (HBF), a new standard for memory and storage. The first technical specification for HBF was published through the Open Compute Project, coinciding with the opening of the Future of Memory and Storage conference. This marks a major milestone in the project, which was convened six months ago and has been in development for over a year.
The specification defines capacities up to 512GB across two stack configurations, 8-high and 16-high NAND dies. Performance is sorted into three grades, ranging from roughly 0.4TB/s to 3.0TB/s. This focus on capacity rather than raw speed sets HBF apart from its competition.
The consortium behind HBF has gained two significant partners in Google and Tenstorrent. However, Nvidia is not a participant, which may impact the technology's prospects as a de facto alternative to increasingly pricey High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM). Samples of AI inference devices built with HBF are expected to show up in early 2027, but the technology currently exists only on paper, with no concrete timeline for commercial availability.
Sources
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