What is the difference of Winbond CUBE for the edge-oriented "small HMB"?

With the continuous iterative development of automobiles, Internet of Things, smart industry, robotics and other fields, the demand for computing power at the edge continues to rise, and the amount of data that edge devices need to process is surging. Recently, the author attended the offline media conference held by Winbond Electronics, and Judy, Director of Winbond Electronics, gave an in-depth sharing on topics such as the new trend of edge computing power, how CUBE products can meet the needs of the edge, Winbond's layout in the automotive field, and the development trend of the storage market.

△ Judy, Director of Winbond Electronics

CUBE: Compact HBM for edge AI computing needs

The emergence of ChatGPT quickly ignited a new wave of AI development, and then various large models such as Wensheng pictures and Wensheng videos have sprung up, affecting people's lives at an unimaginable speed. Exploring the key to the development of AI, Judy, director of electronic products at Winbond, said that three factors are needed to promote the implementation and development of AI: computing power, transportation capacity and storage capacity, and the storage part is related to "storage power". Although the development of AI has led to a new wave of HBM, Winbond's CUBE (Semi-Customized Ultra-High Bandwidth Element), which can be called "small HBM", can help customers achieve affordable edge AI computing in mainstream application scenarios, and achieve the performance of running generative AI in hybrid cloud and edge cloud applications.

Judy explained that for applications like HBM, because of its high bandwidth and high power consumption, the main control chip will be placed very close to the memory chip, so that the system-level packaging can be carried out in a chip. Winbond's CUBE is similar in the general direction, "Our CUBE is a customized storage element. Its characteristics are also the same, packaged with the main control chip, wrapped together with 2.5D or 3D packaging, compared with the traditional application on the board, there are several significant advantages, because the integration of the system is very high, so do not use PCB wiring, then reduce the area of the board, save costs, more importantly, the connection is short, the speed, bandwidth can go faster, and the power consumption will be lower. ”

Regarding the application field of CUBE, Judy further introduced that the biggest difference between CUBE and HBM is the capacity, the capacity of HBM is very large, and the capacity of Winbond CUBE is relatively small, because Winbond focuses on niche storage, small and medium-capacity storage, and aims at the edge application market, not cloud and server-side computing like HBM. And at present, the sinking of computing power is a very big industry trend, because the response speed on the edge side is faster and more secure. If it is in the cloud, many customers will worry about the security and privacy of their data. In addition, it is not a problem to do inference or a small amount of training on the edge side. Judy added, "We have also received positive feedback from some customers that when the edge side is strong enough, the cost is actually reduced, and the cost will not be raised because the end side is strong." ”

Advanced layout, with a complete automotive storage solution

It is understood that in addition to CUBE, Winbond's product layout in other fields is also quite diversified. FOR EXAMPLE, WINBOND AND STMicroelectronics are also actively cooperating, and in March 2023, the two companies announced that they will introduce DDR3 and HYPERRAM memory products into the STM32 series of MCUs and MPUs to help the development of smart industrial and consumer applications. Winbond said the focus of the collaboration is to combine Winbond's DDR3 memory with ST's STM32MP1 series of microprocessors.

In the fields of edge computing and AI, there are more and more application requirements and scenarios for low-power LPDDR4, and Winbond has seized the opportunity early to make arrangements in advance. Judy said that Winbond's LPDDR4 is one to two years earlier than DDR4, and in the first half of this year, Winbond also launched DDR4 products, and the company had LPDDR4 two years ago, "because we predict that in the application scenarios of niche edge computing, there will be more and greater opportunities for low power consumption." All of Winbond's recent new processes, including the 20nm that are being pushed, will also be used to make 4Gb and 8Gb LPDDR4 products. "In the KGD field, Winbond's number of customers is also impressive. According to reports, many of the listed companies in domestic semiconductors are customers of Winbond, including Junzheng, Guoke, Fullhan, Xingchen, etc., and the top few in each subdivision of the application field are basically Winbond's customers.

When it comes to the layout of the automobile market, Winbond's strength should not be underestimated. According to the data of 2022, Winbond is the world's fifth largest manufacturer of automotive storage, and in the automotive field, Winbond's products are all automotive-grade products, among which, ADAS is one of the several types of applications that Winbond is currently targeting. Judy admits that in the automotive field, Winbond's automotive storage solutions are quite complete and can fully meet the needs of customers.

Optimistic about the storage market, the Kaohsiung plant is actively expanding production capacity

In response to the development trend of the storage market, Judy pointed out that the growth rate of small and medium-capacity DRAM is relatively slow, while the growth of large-capacity DRAM has been soaring since the second half of last year. The price increase of high-capacity DRAM is mainly driven by demand growth and the self-help strategy of large manufacturers. Although the increase in small and medium-capacity DRAM is modest, the price correction will help the healthy development of the entire industry.

Judy is optimistic about the storage market in the second half of this year and the first half of next year. He said that with the recovery of demand for electronic products such as computers and mobile phones, the entire storage market will be significantly driven. In particular, HBM (High Bandwidth Storage) will occupy a larger market share in the next few years, which will greatly affect the balance of DRAM supply and demand, according to third-party report data, HBM may account for 30% of the production capacity next year, so Judy believes that next year will be a big year for storage, especially for small and medium-capacity products. In order to respond to market demand, Winbond Electronics is continuing to expand its production capacity, and the production capacity of the Kaohsiung plant is also actively expanding. It is reported that the production capacity of the Kaohsiung plant was 10,000 pieces per year last year, reached 15,000 pieces per year this year, and will rush to 20,000 pieces next year.

"Hidden champion": win-win with customers, more stable and far-reaching

As a powerful but rather low-key manufacturer in the storage industry, Judy said that Winbond's slogan is to be a "hidden champion", which covers two meanings. First and foremost, it represents Winbond's commitment to helping its customers achieve commercial success through its high-quality products, because the success of customers is also Winbond's success. Second, it reflects Winbond's unique perspective on market positioning – hidden champions are not widely known, but they are a global leader in a specific market segment or industry because of the superior performance and quality of their products. This low-key and steady style has enabled Winbond to achieve lasting and stable development in the fierce market competition.