SK hynix, the world’s second-largest memory provider, said Tuesday that the company will start using artificial intelligence-based solutions to improve its manufacturing process for memory chips.

Under a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Advanced Institute of Technology, SK hynix will provide KAIST with data collected during the chip manufacturing process in its clean rooms in real time through a cloud system.

KAIST will analyze the data using AI-based models and come up with predictions and suggestions to improve process quality.

It is the first such example of collaboration between a chipmaker and a university. Chip manufacturing data is highly confidential information within the semiconductor industry.

“It marks the first system that can access a chipmaker’s data regarding its manufacturing processes, whose data security is the lifeline,” said Moon Jae-kyun, head of electrical engineering at KAIST.

“The latest AI algorithms developed by KAIST will be applied to the manufacturing site,” said Song Chang-rock, head of data transformation at SK hynix.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)