SK hynix Inc. announced today that it presented its next-generation NAND storage product strategy at the '2025 OCP (Open Compute Project) Global Summit', held in San Jose, California, from October 13 to 16.SK hynix unveils AIN Family (P/B/D) and hosts HBF Night to expand the AIN B ecosystem. Credit: SK hynixSK hynix said that, with the rapid growth of the AI inference market, the demand for NAND storage products capable of process large volume data quickly and efficiently is increasing dramatically. The company will fulfill customer needs by establishing the 'AIN (AI-NAND) Family' lineup of solution products, optimized for the AI era.Chun Sung Kim, Head of eSSD Product Development at SK hynix, presented the AIN Family during the Executive Session on the second day of the event.The AIN Family consists of NAND solution products optimized for performance, bandwidth, and density respectively which is designed to enhanced data processing speed and storage capacity. AIN P (Performance) is a solution to efficiently process large volume data generated under large-scale AI inference workloads. The product significantly boosts processing speed and energy efficiency by minimizing the bottleneck between storage and AI operations. SK hynix is designing NAND and controllers with new structures and plans to release samples by the end of 2026.AIN D (Density) is a high density solution designed to store large amount of data with low power consumption and cost suitable for storing AI data. The company targets to increase density to petabyte (PB) level from terabyte (TB) of current QLC-based SSDs, and to aim for mid-end storage solution which implements both the speed of SSD and the cost efficiency of HDD.AIN B (Bandwidth) is SK hynix's solution leveraging HBF technology. This product expands bandwidth by vertically stacking multiple NANDs.With global top level HBM development and production capabilities, SK hynix has been conducting researches on AIN B from early stage to address the memory capacity gap driven by the expansion of AI inference and scaling up of LLMs. The key is to combine HBM's stacking structure with high density and cost efficient NAND flash. The company is taking various strategies for AIN B into consideration, such as placing together with HBM to enhance overall system capacity.SK hynix jointly hosted 'HBF Night' with Sandisk, after both parties entered an MOU for HBF standardization in August, to expand the technology ecosystem. The event was held at The Tech Interactive, near the OCP Global Summit venue, on the 14th.At the event, a panel discussion featuring Korean and foreign faculty members was held, with the participation of numerous industry architects and engineers participated. During the event, a collaborative effort across the industry was proposed to accelerate innovation in NAND storage products."Through OCP Global Summit and HBF Night, we were able to showcase SK hynix's present and future as a global AI memory solution provider, thriving in a rapidly evolving AI market," Ahn Hyun, President and Chief Development Officer said. "In the next generation NAND storage market, SK hynix will collaborate closely with customers and partners to become a key player."

Smiths Group plc ("Smiths") announces that it has entered into an agreement for the sale of Smiths Interconnect to Molex Electronic Technologies Holdings, LLC ("Molex", a Koch company) (the "Transaction"). The Transaction values Smiths Interconnect at an enterprise value of £1.3bn, representing 15.1x headline EBITDA of £86.1m1 for the fiscal year 2025. Smiths will receive cash consideration for the Transaction which is subject to customary adjustments for working capital, cash and debt. This announcement demonstrates clear progress against the strategic actions announced on 31 January 2025, designed to maximise value creation, unlock value in the portfolio, and enhance returns to shareholders. The sale of Smiths Interconnect is a notable step forward in the strategy to become a more focused industrial engineering company. Completion of the Transaction is expected to take place in the second half of fiscal year 2026.Credit: SmithsAs also announced in January, Smiths is executing against the delivery of enhanced returns to shareholders through its ongoing £500m buyback which is expected to complete by the end of calendar year 2025. Smiths remains committed to returning a large portion of disposal proceeds from the sale of Smiths Interconnect to shareholders and intends to maintain an investment grade credit rating with the desire to have an efficient balance sheet.  The Board of Smiths will provide an update on the use of proceeds in the Q1 FY2026 Trading Statement scheduled for release on 19 November 2025. Smiths continues to progress with both the sale and demerger processes in parallel for Smiths Detection, as previously stated.Roland Carter, Chief Executive of Smiths, said: "This is an important step as we deliver on our commitment to focus Smiths and unlock the inherent value in our business. Today's announcement, and our recent results, show we are delivering on our strategy with pace and purpose and I am confident that we will continue to do so as we further focus our business as a high-performing industrial engineering company.""We thank our Smiths Interconnect colleagues for their significant contribution to the Smiths Group over many years and wish them every success as they transition to their new owner, Molex, who is well placed to support their future growth."Under French employment laws, prior to making any decision to enter into the Transaction (including by way of entry into any binding share purchase agreement), Smiths is required to carry out an information and consultation process with its French works council (the "French Works Council"). It is intended that the consultation process regarding the Transaction will begin following this announcement.Whilst Smiths will ensure the views of the French Works Council are properly considered, the French Works Council opinion on the Transaction is consultative and not binding on Smiths or Molex.Following completion of the consultation with the French Works Council, the agreement that Smiths has entered into gives it the unilateral and unconditional right to require Molex to enter into a binding share purchase agreement to complete the Transaction, which is subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions and regulatory approvals.Based on headline FY2025 EBITDA, which excludes the contribution from the US sub-systems business unit of Smiths Interconnect, which was reported as agreed for sale in Smiths full year 2025 results, and which completed in October 2025.

As digitalization penetrates every industry-whether in cloud computing, telecommunications infrastructure, automotive electronics, or IoT devices-the security of hardware platforms is no longer an isolated concern of a single sector, but a common challenge faced by all critical infrastructures. In the past, the focus of cybersecurity was largely placed on software.However, as attack methods continue to evolve-from supply chain infiltration and firmware tampering to chip-level exploits-the security and resilience of hardware have come to be recognized as a fundamental cornerstone of modern security architectures. At the heart of this shift, Secure Flash Memory is increasingly emerging as the critical enabler across diverse application domains.Secure Flash Memory is becoming the common language of cybersecurity across industries.Credit: WinbondEvolution of International Standards: Hardware and Firmware Security FrameworksIn recent years, international standards and certification frameworks for hardware and firmware security have gradually formed a tightly interwoven network. Among them, the NIST SP 800-193 Platform Firmware Resiliency (PFR) Guidelines established by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology clearly define three core capabilities: detection, protection, and recovery.These requirements mandate that platforms be capable of identifying anomalies, blocking unauthorized updates, and securely restoring firmware when necessary. Initially widely adopted in servers and networking equipment, SP 800-193 is now regarded as a cornerstone for defending against firmware-level attacks.However, relying on a single framework alone is insufficient to address the diversity of application scenarios. To provide a more flexible and scalable approach that covers varying product types and market demands, the Security Evaluation Standard for IoT Platforms (SESIP) was introduced. Designed specifically for IoT and embedded platforms, SESIP emphasizes a modular approach to security evaluation.By decomposing security functionalities into reusable security claims, SESIP not only improves certification efficiency but also allows manufacturers to reuse existing security assets across product lines, avoiding the need to start from scratch for each market-specific requirement. This flexibility has made SESIP a critical tool in today's rapidly expanding landscape of IoT and smart devices.To learn the latest cybersecurity regulations and trends, download the hardware security whitepaper for free.The Convergence of Industry Standards: Common Criteria, FIPS 140-3, and ISO/SAE 21434At the same time, other international security frameworks continue to exert their influence. Common Criteria (ISO/IEC 15408) remains one of the most widely recognized global security evaluation systems, providing stringent assurances for smart cards and critical infrastructure devices. FIPS 140-3, mandated by the U.S. government, sets clear requirements for the security of cryptographic modules, covering encryption, key management, and physical protections, and has been broadly adopted in finance, government, and cloud services.Additionally, ISO/SAE 21434, originally designed for the automotive sector, introduces a risk-based approach to cybersecurity lifecycle management. While its initial focus was on automotive electronics, its methodology is increasingly being extended to other safety-critical domains, highlighting the growing convergence of cross-industry security standards.Though these standards originate from different perspectives, they share a common foundation: ensuring the establishment of a Root of Trust, safeguarding firmware and cryptographic keys against tampering, and enabling systems to recover quickly after an attack.This is precisely where secure flash memory demonstrates its value. The latest generation of secure flash memory devices typically integrate multiple security mechanisms, such as secure boot support, immutable key storage, hardware-based authentication, and cryptographic accelerators.These features allow secure flash memory not only to meet the firmware integrity requirements of NIST SP 800-193 but also to align with the cryptographic module protections defined in FIPS 140-3 and to complement the modular security claims of SESIP. In other words, secure flash memory is not just a solution for one certification, but rather a bridge across multiple international standards.Practical Applications: Secure Flash Memory in Different Industry SegmentsFor example, in the server domain, secure flash memory ensures that both BIOS and BMC firmware are verified during startup, blocking any unauthorized modifications in real time-a direct embodiment of PFR principles. In IoT devices, the same memory can be evaluated through SESIP, modularizing secure updates and key management, thereby enabling shared security foundations across different product lines.In financial services or cloud platforms, the built-in cryptographic engines of secure flash memory directly support the requirements of FIPS 140-3, providing a trusted environment for key storage. In automotive electronics, these memories can be incorporated into the threat modeling and risk management frameworks outlined in ISO/SAE 21434, supporting end-to-end lifecycle security management.Secure Flash Memory as the Engine of Cross-Industry Digital TrustIt can therefore be said that the role of secure flash memory has moved far beyond being a mere data storage component; it has become the tangible foundation of a system’s Root of Trust. It is the essential vehicle through which security standards are realized and the shared language that enables cross-industry collaboration. As industries worldwide continue to raise the bar for cybersecurity, the ability to effectively integrate and align with multiple international standards will determine whether products can successfully enter the market and earn end-user trust.Looking ahead, as supply chain security challenges intensify—from manufacturing to system integration to end applications—the demand for security will only continue to grow. With its unique ability to span across multiple standards, secure flash memory is poised to remain the cornerstone of digital trust in industry. It is not merely a technological option, but a strategic necessity for companies seeking to maintain competitiveness and compliance in the global marketplace.To learn more about Winbond's advanced security solutions, visit Winbond's website or contact Winbond directly, or download the latest Hardware Security White Paper.