SK hynix fuels AI race with HBM4E sample delivery

This comes approximately three weeks after Samsung Electronics claimed the industry's first such shipment. Now the comapany has pushed itself into the customer-qualification stage, as reported by Korea Herald.

SK hynix said its 12-layer part improves energy efficiency by over 20 per cent as compared with previous HBM4 generation. It delivers 48 gigabytes of capacity and pin speeds of up to 16 gigabits per second, as reported by the Korea Herald.

The South Korean semiconductor major has further applied its Advanced MR-MUF packaging process, which reduces gaps between stacked chips with a protective material to reinforce structural stability and dissipate heat. As per the company, the process reduces thermal resistance by nearly 17 per cent compared with HBM4. This is a significant achievement as faster memory generates more heat in dense computing environments.

In high-bandwidth memory, which is packaged alongside GPUs to ease the data bottlenecks in AI training and inference, sample delivery is the entry point to customer validation rather than proof of mass production. The stage carries added weight for HBM4E because the generation is moving toward more customized designs: logic base dies are tailored to individual customers, raising the value of early validation slots.

"To be clear, both companies have only shipped samples so far. Neither company has said it has cleared customer qualification or begun volume production, the stages that will decide which supplier locks in orders for next year's AI platforms," an industry official noted, as reported by Korea Herald.

With a revenue share of about 58 per cent as of the first quarter of 2026, SK hynix leads the HBM market, noted Korea Herald citing Counterpoint Research. On the other hand, Samsung and Micron each are trailing at roughly 21 per cent. (ANI)