From chips to... chips? SK hynix's tongue-in-cheek HBM-themed snack now in stores.

SK hynix is finding a new way to bring the public closer to its cutting-edge memory chips: a honey banana-flavored snack modeled after the company’s high bandwidth memory (HBM) technology.

SK hynix, in collaboration with 7-Eleven, released "HBM Chips," a chocolate and corn snack, on Nov. 26. [SK HYNIX]

SK hynix is finding a new way to bring the public closer to its cutting-edge memory chips: a honey banana-flavored snack modeled after the company’s high bandwidth memory (HBM) technology.

SK hynix introduced the product Wednesday in collaboration with convenience store chain 7-Eleven. The snack, called “HBM Chips,” riffs on the acronym that usually refers to high-performance semiconductor components. Here, HBM instead stands for “honey banana mat [flavor]” in Korean, and the chips come shaped like miniature semiconductors.

The company said the chips combine a nutty corn base with honey banana-flavored chocolate that gives off a sweet aroma as it melts. The chips can be found at 7-Eleven stores nationwide from Wednesday.

The brand strategy team in SK hynix’s public relations division, which manages the company's newsroom and YouTube channel, developed the concept and proposed the partnership to 7-Eleven, according to the company.

“The project is designed to help the general public feel more familiar with semiconductors,” SK hynix said. “It's an attempt to move beyond the image of a rigid business-to-business technology company and take a step closer to the public.”

A HBM chip character is seen in this still of SK hynix's ad for its ″HBM Chips″ snack uploaded on YouTube. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A promotional video released Wednesday takes the playful approach further. It boasts “TSV [through-silicon via] flavor that pierces the tip of your tongue” and “a bandwidth of taste several times wider than existing chips,” adapting technical language into food marketing.

The video also underscores the company’s long history with the technology, saying “the great SK hynix that introduced the historic HBM memory chip 12 years ago has unveiled another remarkable chip 12 years later, one with honey banana flavor.”

The collaboration marks SK hynix’s first foray into consumer packaged goods. The company plans to build on the launch next month by unveiling a character inspired by its HBM products and using it across YouTube, merchandise and experiential programs.

The company said it wants consumers to associate semiconductors with SK hynix itself while eating the snack.

“We will continue brand innovations that connect complex semiconductor technologies with everyday experiences,” SK hynix said.

Samsung Display commissioned Otoki to create a ″QD Ramyeon″ in 2022 to celebrate the company's achievements in quantum-dot organic light-emitting diode display technology. [PARK HAE-LEE]

Other technology companies have experimented with similar collaborations.

In 2022, Samsung Display worked with food maker Otoki to create a limited-edition “QD Ramyeon” to celebrate achieving an 85 percent yield rate on its quantum-dot organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays. Samsung Display began QD OLED production in 2021 and created the ramen to mark its rapid progress in stabilizing yields.

The noodles were identical to Otoki’s Odongtong Myon noodles, but Samsung Display commissioned new packaging and a special name. Samsung Display distributed the product to employees, partner companies and local communities, although it did not sell it in stores.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY PARK HAE-LEE [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]