Micron Begins Mass Production of 12-Layer HBM for NVIDIA

Micron Technology is set to begin mass production of its 12-layer stacked high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which will be supplied to leading AI semiconductor companies, including NVIDIA. In September of last year, Micron completed the development of the 12-layer stacked HBM and demonstrated samples to clients such as NVIDIA. According to industry sources in February, Micron’s CFO, Mark Murphy, highlighted the advantages of this product during an event hosted by Wolfe Research on February 14.

Murphy emphasized that the 12-layer HBM product offers 20% lower power consumption and 50% increased capacity compared to competitors’ 8-layer products. He further predicted that most of the HBM production in the second half of the year would consist of 12-layer products.

The significance of HBM technology lies in its ability to vertically stack DRAM chips, boosting data processing speed and bandwidth, which are crucial for high-performance computing tasks, especially for GPUs used in AI applications. As the demand for such advanced memory solutions continues to rise, securing supply agreements with companies like NVIDIA is becoming increasingly important for memory manufacturers.

Micron is poised to lead the industry with its 12-layer stacked HBM, while Samsung Electronics finds itself trailing behind. The company has only recently entered small-scale production of 8-layer products and has yet to test its 12-layer products. Samsung plans to send samples of its 12-layer stacked HBM to NVIDIA by the end of the month, but final deliveries will depend on approval. This delay could impact Samsung’s competitive position in the market, where technological leadership often translates into greater market share and revenue.

Meanwhile, SK Hynix, another major player in the semiconductor industry, is accelerating the development of HBM4 to meet NVIDIA's demands, with the goal of completing it later this year. Samsung, aiming to transform its business, is also targeting HBM4 mass production by year-end, utilizing 10nm-class sixth-generation (1c) DRAM.

Mark Murphy also announced that the next-generation sixth-generation HBM (HBM4) is expected to ship next year, marking a continued pace of innovation and rapid growth in the semiconductor industry. As competition intensifies with technological advancements, the ability to produce 12-layer stacked HBM and more advanced memory solutions will significantly influence the financial performance and market positions of companies like Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix.