Samsung, Then SK hynix, Supply HBM4E Samples, Igniting Competition for Memory Leadership (Roundup)

[Financial News] Following Samsung Electronics, SK hynix has also begun supplying samples of HBM4E, the next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) memory high-bandwidth memory (HBM), intensifying the race for leadership in the next-generation HBM market. With both companies unveiling development results for their next-generation products soon after HBM4 mass production began, competition in the AI memory market is now spreading beyond HBM4 to HBM4E, the next-generation product.■ Improving speed and power efficiency at the same timeSK hynix said on the 18th that it had supplied 12-layer HBM4E samples to major customers. HBM4E is the successor to HBM4 and is a next-generation HBM product that improves data processing performance and power efficiency for AI training and inference.
SK hynix's HBM4E delivers speeds of up to 16Gbps per pin and improves energy efficiency by more than 20%. By applying its improved MR-MUF packaging technology, the company achieved a 48GB capacity in a 12-layer stack and cut thermal resistance by about 17% compared with HBM4, allowing stable operation even in high-performance computing environments. MR-MUF is a packaging technology that stacks multiple DRAM chips and then fills the gaps between the chips with a protective material to improve structural stability and heat dissipation.
HBM4E is the next generation after HBM4, which will be used in NVIDIA's AI accelerator Rubin, scheduled for release in the second half of this year. NVIDIA is also expected to unveil Rubin Ultra, its next-generation AI accelerator, in the second half of next year, and the industry expects HBM4E to be adopted there as well.■ Samsung and SK hynix move beyond HBM4 into HBM4E competitionSamsung Electronics was first to move. After becoming the first in the industry to begin mass shipments of HBM4 in February, Samsung also supplied the industry's first HBM4E samples to customers last month, moving to secure an early lead in the next-generation market. At COMPUTEX Taipei earlier this month, it also unveiled a physical model of HBM5, its eighth-generation product.
About a month later, SK hynix also disclosed that it had supplied HBM4E samples, leading analysts to say the two companies' competition in next-generation memory is now in full swing. In April, SK hynix said during its first-quarter earnings conference call that it was "internally planning to supply samples in the second half of the year" for HBM4E, but it appears to have moved up the schedule from its original plan. Samsung Electronics also supplied samples to customers last month, earlier than the third quarter (July-September) timeline it had outlined for HBM4E sample shipments this year.
If Samsung Electronics is pursuing a strategy of preemptive development in next-generation memory, SK hynix is highlighting its customer partnerships as a strength built on its leadership in the HBM market. The company aims to extend that lead in the HBM4E market as well, drawing on its mass-production experience with HBM3, HBM3E and HBM4.
Ahn Hyun, president and chief digital officer at SK hynix, said, "We have laid the groundwork to continue leading AI innovation by carrying over our industry-leading technological competitiveness and mass-production capabilities to HBM4E as well." He added, "Based on cooperation with our partners, we will proactively deliver the value the market demands and solidify our technological leadership as a full-stack AI memory creator."
[email protected] Jung Won-il Reporter