NVIDIA Reportedly to Enter HBM Market

NVIDIA is reportedly preparing to enter the HBM base die segment—the foundational layer in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) stacks—drawing wide attention across the semiconductor industry. Traditionally, this market has been dominated by major DRAM players, but rising complexity has opened the door for ASIC design firms such as Global Unichip (GUC) to carve out new opportunities.

Analysts believe the adoption of NVIDIA's solution by large cloud service providers remains limited for now, but its NVLink Fusion ecosystem could benefit partners including MediaTek and GUC. These companies may gain momentum through modular design advantages, unlocking new business potential.

IC design experts point out that HBM4 and beyond demand transmission speeds above 10Gbps, requiring advanced logic die manufactured by TSMC, while ASIC-related integration often falls to GUC. Notably, GUC's HBM4 IP already supports up to 12Gbps data rates and integrates cutting-edge UCIe-A (32Gbps) and UCIe-3D IP solutions—placing it among the technology leaders.

Industry watchers say the direct impact on GUC may be limited, since cloud providers prioritize cost efficiency alongside performance—an area where Taiwanese firms excel. Still, NVIDIA's modular approach, spanning from its Cordelia server architecture to the expansion of NVLink Fusion, could bring added flexibility and deeper AI server penetration.

By stepping into the HBM base die space, NVIDIA aims to enhance data transfer efficiency between GPUs, CPUs, and memory, enabling more customized solutions for its partners. This move is expected to strengthen NVIDIA's AI server presence while boosting opportunities for Taiwanese chip designers such as MediaTek and GUC.

Ultimately, industry insiders highlight TSMC as the biggest winner. With its advanced process technology and strong partnerships with global chipmakers, TSMC is well-positioned to drive the rapid progress demanded in the AI era.