"Solving HBM Heat" ... SK hynix Unveils 'iHBM' Technology

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[Financial News] SK hynix has unveiled iHBM, a next-generation technology that dramatically reduces heat by placing cooling elements directly inside High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) packages.
As AI computing demand surges and the number of HBM layers and speeds rise rapidly, the technology is expected to help address the heat issue that has emerged as a key challenge in next-generation HBM competition.
On the 26th, SK hynix introduced iHBM, a technology that significantly lowers heat by embedding an integrated cooling element (ICE) inside the HBM package. ICE is a cooling component that uses silicon, a material that does not conduct electricity but has high thermal conductivity, to create an additional heat dissipation path inside the package.
HBM performance continues to improve, but higher heat generation can also become a problem. iHBM is notable for structurally solving that issue.
Conventional HBM has relied on an indirect method of channeling heat out through the core die. iHBM's key feature is that it places a thermal control element, ICE, inside the D2D physical layer, where heat is most concentrated. This creates a dedicated path for heat to escape. As a result, thermal resistance is reduced by more than 30% compared with existing designs, while stable operation can be maintained even in high-temperature, high-load environments.
It also has strengths in mass production. By applying a WLP process based on the market-proven advanced MR-MUF technology, the company can ensure stable large-scale production. With strong design compatibility with customers' existing SiP environments, the technology can be adopted immediately without major design changes, reducing the burden of implementation.
SK hynix plans to apply iHBM to next-generation products such as HBM5, meeting the thermal management requirements of ultra-high-density, ultra-high-bandwidth environments such as High-Performance Computing (HPC) and AI data centers, while improving overall system stability and operational efficiency.
Lee Kang-wook, Vice President and Package Development Lead at SK hynix, said, "iHBM is the optimal solution for minimizing heat, developed by combining memory design capabilities with advanced packaging technology." He added, "We will further solidify our leadership in AI memory by proactively delivering the value customers need in AI environments."
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soup@fnnews.com Lim Su-bin Reporter