SK Hynix, TSMC Join Forces for HBM4 Revolution

High-bandwidth memory (HBM) products are considered one of the cornerstones of artificial intelligence (AI) computation, with the industry experiencing rapid development over the past two years. Influenced by advancements in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing (HPC), these innovations are propelling revenue growth for memory manufacturers. As a high-bandwidth memory partner of NVIDIA, SK Hynix currently occupies a leading position in the HBM market. There have been reports that SK Hynix plans to mass-produce HBM4 by 2026, aimed at powering the next generation of artificial intelligence chips.

According to Pulse News Korea, SK Hynix has recently formulated a “One Team” strategic alliance, which is gradually taking shape, including participation from TSMC. The collaboration will focus on the development of HBM4 chips, with TSMC likely responsible for certain aspects of the production process, possibly including packaging and testing, to enhance product compatibility.

HBM products have evolved through several generations, including HBM (first generation), HBM2 (second generation), HBM2E (third generation), HBM3 (fourth generation), and HBM3E (fifth generation), with the most advanced being HBM3E, an extended version of HBM3. HBM4, set to be the sixth generation, will revolutionize the design that has been in place since 2015 by adopting a 2048-bit interface, doubling the bit width, which represents the most significant change since the introduction of HBM memory technology. The 2048-bit interface requires extremely complex routing on integrated circuits, potentially necessitating TSMC’s more advanced packaging technologies to validate the HBM4 chips.

It has been mentioned that HBM4 chips will be utilized in the second iteration upgrade of the Blackwell architecture GPUs.