SK Hynix is planning to convert one of its main DRAM production lines to manufacture high-bandwidth memory (HBM) instead due to high demand for the latter memory type, TheElec has learned.
The line, M10F, located at its Icheon facility in South Korea, is already going through changes for it to manufacture HBM3E, sources said.
SK Hynix is planning to install the needed equipment in the first quarter of next year and is aiming to start production of HBM3E in the fourth quarter of 2025, they added.
The South Korean memory maker is supplying the memory, which is used in AI inference applications, to Nvidia, Google, and Amazon. SK Hynix has previously said it was receiving requests from major tech giants for customized HBMs.
M10F will likely have a capacity of 10,000 wafers per month for HBM production, the sources said, as the line is smaller than SK Hynix’s other HBM production lines. When M10F goes live, then, the memory maker will have a monthly capacity of 150,000 wafers for HBM production, they added.
Meanwhile, it is unlikely that SK Hynix will actively expand its HBM production capacity after M10F.
This is because rivals Samsung and Micron are expanding their HBM production capacity. China’s CXMT has also announced that it plans to manufacture HBM. In other words, there are enough HBM capacity in the market to meet demand.
In response, SK Hynix plans to focus on the most advanced HBMs, company insiders told TheElec. It wants most of its capacity to focus on the latest generation HBM while fading out legacy products, they said.
