Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are gearing up for a significant shift in the high bandwidth memory (HBM) market. At an analyst event hosted by the global fabless company Marvell in the United States late last year, Kim In-dong, executive director at Samsung Electronics, and Kang Sun-kook, vice president at SK Hynix, shared their vision for the future of custom HBM technology.
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix predict that the market for custom HBM will fully open after 2027. This announcement comes as the industry sees a growing preference for customized solutions over standard products. “The standard for 8th generation HBM (HBM5) has not yet been established,” Kang stated. “Until the end of next year, 6th generation HBM standard products will dominate, and from 2027, the production of custom HBM will begin in earnest.”
HBM technology, which involves stacking multiple DRAM chips vertically, offers faster data transfer speeds and larger storage capacities compared to traditional DRAM modules. This makes it particularly suitable for high-performance computing applications, such as those involving GPUs. As the AI market evolves from the learning stage to the inference stage, the demand for more specialized and efficient hardware, including custom HBM solutions, is increasing.
Kim emphasized the need for advanced technologies that combine packaging, memory, and logic semiconductors. “The custom HBM market is expected to expand to $38 billion (approximately 55 trillion won) by 2029,” he noted. This projection underscores the significant economic impact of advancements in semiconductor technology.
Both Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are considering various forms of custom HBM, including modifications to the base die to meet client requirements. Samsung Electronics has already begun in-house production of the base die for 6th generation HBM at its own 4-nanometer foundry, while SK Hynix is preparing for mass production of the base die for 6th generation HBM in collaboration with TSMC.
Will Chu, senior vice president and general manager of the Custom, Compute and Storage Group at Marvell, highlighted the growing demand for customized solutions. “As all customers want semiconductors tailored to their infrastructure, the demand for custom HBM is increasing,” he said. This trend is evident in the development of custom AI chips and is now extending to memory technologies like HBM.
The announcement by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix marks a pivotal moment in the semiconductor industry. As the market for custom HBM expands, these companies are positioning themselves at the forefront of technological innovation, ready to meet the evolving needs of high-performance computing and AI applications. The era of Custom HBM is set to begin in earnest, promising enhanced efficiency and performance for a wide range of applications.
