SK hynix's HBM3E: AI Giants Take Notice

SK hynix has caught the attention of the AI industry with its fifth-generation High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), known as HBM3E. Reports indicate that major AI technology giants like NVIDIA are eagerly waiting to place pre-orders for this advanced memory technology.

According to a report by BusinessKorea, global tech giants including NVIDIA, AMD, Microsoft, and Amazon have requested samples of HBM3E from SK hynix in sequential order. Requesting samples is a necessary step before making purchases, as it ensures compatibility between the memory and customers' GPUs, ICs, or cloud systems. This suggests that HBM3E has achieved stable production yields and is in the final stages before being delivered in large quantities.

HBM3E represents the next generation of memory products, building upon the success of the fourth-generation HBM3. SK hynix holds the distinction of being the only company currently mass-producing HBM3 worldwide.

According to the report, NVIDIA is the first customer to request samples of HBM3E and may receive them by the end of this year. In response to the surging demand for HBM3E, SK hynix has made the strategic decision to expand its production significantly next year using cutting-edge 10-nanometer (1b) technology. The majority of the new production capacity will be dedicated to manufacturing HBM3E.

AMD, a prominent player in the GPU market, recently unveiled its next-generation GPU, the MI300X, which will be accompanied by HBM3 supplied by both SK hynix and Samsung Electronics. AMD's request for HBM3E samples from SK hynix indicates their interest in selecting a supplier for the fifth-generation HBM. Notably, the HBM capacity in the MI300X is 2.4 times greater than that of NVIDIA's flagship GPU, the H100.