At long last, HBM4 is officially here—at least as a specification. The JEDEC released Standard 270-4, supplying high bandwidth memory (HBM) makers with a complete specification for what will likely be a massively lucrative product for the usual suspects: Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix. The specification sets the stage for a gradual transition from HBM3 to HBM4 as semiconductor companies like AMD and Nvidia build the next generations of AI GPUs and other hardware.

The HBM4 standard will allow for 48GB of capacity in a stack of 16 DRAM dies. According to the JEDEC, HBM4 supports 4, 8, 12, and 16 DRAM die stacks. Each stack supports 32 channels or 64 pseudo channels. The memory should be more power-efficient than its HBM3 and HBM3E predecessors. And, like the earlier versions, HBM4 will probably show up only in GPUs designed for AI and other data center applications, as opposed to gaming graphics processors.

That’s not to say that semiconductor companies are just now able to build the new memory. They (along with customers like Nvidia) have been helping develop HBM4 and are testing the new memory. In fact, SK Hynix is believed to have reached a 70% yield in its HBM4 testing earlier this year, according to DigiTimes.

SK Hynix teamed with TSMC to build its upcoming HBM4 products. Micron and Samsung represent their biggest rivals in the existing HBM3 and HBM3E markets, and it seems safe to assume that these businesses will be the biggest players in the launch of HBM4. As VideoCardz notes, all three players in the current HBM3 game are working on HBM4 products. HBM4e products are also being planned. VideoCardz expects mass production to ramp up in 2026.

Unlike SK Hynix, Samsung has its own foundry. Foundries can be money pits at times, as Intel well knows, but having its own means Samsung doesn’t need to partner with another business. Samsung fended off rumors that it would sell its foundry in the fall of last year and appears to have its HBM4 memory in good shape, with mass production possibly coming later this year. According to TrendForce, Samsung’s test production yields for its 4nm dies are higher than 40%, which is a good sign as it develops the process. It is expected to use the dies in its 12-layer HBM4 memory. We’ll be watching the race to line up customers as the year progresses.

By: DocMemory
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