Seoul: Kwak Noh-jung, CEO of South Korean chipmaker SK hynix, on Thursday unveiled plans to mass-produce, up-to-date excessive bandwidth reminiscence (HBM) chips with 12 layers within the third quarter, aiming to solidify the corporate’s management within the synthetic intelligence (AI) reminiscence market amid surging demand.
“On the HBM know-how aspect, the corporate is planning to offer samples of 12-high HBM3E with the {industry}’s greatest efficiency in Could, and begin mass manufacturing within the third quarter,” he mentioned on the firm’s headquarters in Icheon, some 58 kms southeast of Seoul.
“On the manufacturing aspect, HBM from 2024 output already bought out, whereas that from 2025 quantity nearly bought out,” Noh-jung added.
The recognition of SK hynix’s HBM merchandise got here as HBM chips, integral elements used for AI computing, have garnered growing consideration with the rise of purposes akin to generative AI, exemplified by fashions like ChatGPT, studies Yonhap information company.
The South Korean firm is taken into account because the front-runner within the HBM market and a key provider to US AI chip chief Nvidia, with its newest eight-layer HBM3E mass-produced in March for the primary time within the {industry}.
“The corporate forecasts a quick growth of AI know-how right into a wider vary of on-device purposes akin to smartphones, PCs and vehicles from information facilities now,” Kwak mentioned. “Demand for ultra-fast, high-capacity and low-power reminiscence merchandise for AI purposes is predicted to point out an explosive enhance.”
Gross sales of AI reminiscence, led by HBM and high-capacity DRAM modules, are anticipated to dominate 61 per cent of the worldwide reminiscence chip market by 2028, sharply up from 5 per cent in 2023, in response to SK hynix.
Kwak expressed confidence in profitable the intensifying competitors within the international HBM market, regardless of challenges from rivals, like Samsung Electronics and Micron Know-how.
Final month, Samsung Electronics introduced plans to mass-produce the 12-high HBM3E chips throughout the second quarter in a bid to maintain up with the ever-changing HBM market pattern.
In step with its technique to satisfy demand for AI reminiscence in a well timed method, SK hynix has determined to speculate 5.3 trillion received ($3.85 billion) to construct a brand new DRAM manufacturing base named M15X in South Korea, with business operation to be began within the third quarter of 2026.
It additionally introduced plans to funnel practically $4 billion into a complicated packaging fabrication and R&D facility in the US to start mass-producing AI reminiscence merchandise, together with next-generation excessive bandwidth reminiscence (HBM) chips, within the second half of 2028.
