Samsung Electronics reportedly plans to dedicate separate development teams for next-generation High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) products, HBM3E and HBM4, to strengthen its competitiveness in the HBM market. Whether this strategic initiative will allow Samsung to outpace competitor SK Hynix in mass production is drawing industry attention.
According to South Korean media outlet TheElec, Samsung's HBM Development Team, established in March 2024, is dedicated to developing HBM4, while the DRAM Design Team is tasked with HBM3E development. By dual-tracking the development organizations for HBM4 and HBM3E, Samsung aims to dictate the next-generation HBM market.
The recently established HBM Development Team reports directly to Lee Jung-bae, president of Samsung's Memory Business Unit. Concurrently, the director of the company's DRAM R&D also serves as the head of this team. In addition, internal job transfers have recently taken place to expand the team's workforce.
In January 2023, Samsung announced its plans to start producing HBM4 samples in 2025 and commence mass production in 2026. However, SK Hynix has recently revealed its HBM business roadmap at a press conference, aiming to mass produce 12-layer HBM4 in the second half of 2025 and supply 16-layer products by 2026. Industry anticipations suggested that Samsung will likely accelerate its HBM4 development process in response.
According to semiconductor component sources, Samsung expects to reclaim its HBM market share, starting with HBM4, thanks to its current use of Advanced TC-NCF technology, which can reduce chip warpage. This advantage is particularly significant for products with 16 layers or more, where competitors may encounter challenges in addressing warpage issues.
Starting with HBM4, the logic chips located beneath HBM will need to be manufactured using advanced wafer foundry processes. As major customers such as Nvidia and AMD seek greater customization, it's expected that a 7nm or lower process will be required. Samsung is poised to achieve production cost and efficiency advantages with its in-house foundry capability, while SK Hynix is collaborating with TSMC.
Samsung started mass production of 8-layer HBM3E products in April 2024 and targets further volume production of 12-layer products later in the second quarter. The company plans to expand its HBM production capacity and invest in next-generation technologies like HBM4. It is anticipated that Samsung's HBM revenue will surpass US$10 billion in 2024.
In addition to HBM, Kim Kyung-ryun, managing director of Samsung's Memory Product Planning Office, said in a recent media interview that the company plans to commercialize 3D DRAM, which vertically stacks data storage space, by 2030 to uphold its leadership in DRAM technology.
It is reported that Samsung is investing in the research and development of new structures utilizing Vertical Channel Transistors (VCTs) for DRAM below 10nm.
Article translated by Willis Ke
