NVIDIA to Develop 3nm HBM Base Die, Trial in 2027

Recently, NVIDIA is reportedly stepping into the HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) base die market, a move that's drawing significant industry attention. The company is said to be developing its own HBM base die using a 3nm process, with small-scale trial production expected in the second half of 2027.

The strategy aims to improve data transfer efficiency between HBM, GPUs, and CPUs while offering more modular design options. This also strengthens NVIDIA's control over its NVLink Fusion open architecture ecosystem.

Currently, the HBM space is led by major DRAM makers, with SK Hynix holding the largest share. But as data rates push beyond 10Gbps in HBM4 and beyond, the complexity of logic dies demands advanced process technologies from foundries like TSMC. For example, Creative's HBM4 IP already supports speeds up to 12Gbps and integrates UCIe-A and UCIe-3D solutions, giving it a leading edge in high-performance memory design.

While NVIDIA's move challenges the existing ASIC market, analysts believe large cloud service providers are unlikely to adopt its base die, as many are investing in their own ASIC solutions to reduce reliance on NVIDIA. However, the modular approach could open doors for collaborations with players like MediaTek and Alchip, creating new growth opportunities.

Looking ahead, the HBM4 generation is set to bring faster speeds, taller stacks, and more advanced packaging integration. With NVIDIA entering base die development and SK Hynix ramping up HBM4 production, the market is gearing up for a new wave of competition and transformation.