SK hynix Begins Volume Production of Industry's First HBM3E

SEOUL, South Korea, March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SK hynix Inc. (or "the company", www.skhynix.com) announced today that it has begun volume production of HBM3E*, the newest AI memory product with ultra-high performance, for supply to a customer from late March. The company made public its success with the HBM3E development just seven months ago.

* HBM (High Bandwidth Memory): A high-value, high-performance memory that vertically interconnects multiple DRAM chips and dramatically increases data processing speed in comparison to conventional DRAM products. HBM3E, the extended version of HBM3, is the fifth generation of HBM following HBM, HBM2, HBM2E and HBM3

SK hynix being the first provider of HBM3E, a product with the best performing DRAM chips, extends its earlier success with HBM3. The company expects a successful volume production of HBM3E, along with its experiences also as the industry's first provider of HBM3, to help cement its leadership in the AI memory space.

In order to build a successful AI system that processes a huge amount of data quickly, a semiconductor package should be composed in a way that numerous AI processors and memories are multi-connected. Global big tech companies have been increasingly requiring stronger performance of AI semiconductor and SK hynix expects its HBM3E to be their optimal choice that meets such growing expectations.

The latest product is the industry's best in all the aspects required for an AI memory including speed and heat control. It processes up to 1.18TB of data per second, equivalent to processing more than 230 full-HD movies (5GB each), in a second.

As AI memory operates at an extremely high speed, controlling heat is another key qualification required for AI memories. SK hynix's HBM3E also comes with a 10% improvement in heat-dissipation performance, compared with the previous generation, following application of the advanced MR-MUF** process.

** MR-MUF (Mass Reflow Molded Underfill): The process of stacking semiconductor chips, injecting liquid protective materials between them to protect the circuit between chips, and hardening them. The process has proved to be more efficient and effective for heat dissipation, compared with the method of laying film-type materials for each chip stack. SK hynix's advanced MR-MUF technology is critical to securing a stable mass production on the supply side of the HBM ecosystem as pressure on the chips being stacked can be reduced, while warpage control is also improved with adoption of this process.

Sungsoo Ryu, Head of HBM Business at SK hynix, said that mass production of HBM3E has completed the company's lineup of industry-leading AI memory products. "With the success story of the HBM business and the strong partnership with customers that it has built for years, SK hynix will cement its position as the total AI memory provider."

About SK hynix Inc.

SK hynix Inc., headquartered in Korea, is the world's top tier semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips ("DRAM"), flash memory chips ("NAND flash") and CMOS Image Sensors ("CIS") for a wide range of distinguished customers globally. The Company's shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, and the Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxemburg Stock Exchange. Further information about SK hynix is available at www.skhynix.com, news.skhynix.com.