SK hynix has started mass production of its 12-Hi HBM3E memory stacks, ahead of its rivals. The new modules feature a 36GB capacity and set the stage for next-generation AI and HPC processors, such as AMD's Instinct MI325X which is due in the fourth quarter, and Nvidia's Blackwell Ultra which is expected to arrive in the second half of next year.
SK hynix's 12-Hi 36GB HBM3E stacks pack twelve 3GB DRAM layers and feature a data transfer rate of 9.6 GT/s, thus providing a peak bandwidth of 1.22 TB/s per module. A memory subsystem featuring eight of the company's 12-Hi 36GB HBM3E stacks will thus offer a peak bandwidth of 9.83 TB/s. Real-world products will unlikely use these HBM3E memory devices at their full speed as developers tend to ensure ultimate reliability. We don't doubt that HBM3E memory subsystems will offer higher performance than their predecessors, though.
Despite packing 50% more memory devices, the new 12-Hi HBM3E memory stacks feature the same z-height as their 8-Hi predecessors. To achieve this, SK hynix made DRAM devices 40% thinner. Also, to avoid structural issues that arise from using ultra-thin vertically stacked DRAMs interconnected using through silicon vias (TSVs), the manufacturer used its mass reflow molded underfill (MR-MUF) process that bonds the dies together all at once and fills the space between them with an improved underfill called liquid Epoxy Molding Compound. As a bonus, EMC also has better thermal conductivity.
SK hynix is the first company to start mass production of 12-Hi HBM3E memory. While Samsung formally introduced its 12-Hi 36GB HBM3E stacks early this year, it has yet to start mass production of these products. Micron is sampling production-ready 12-Hi HBM3E devices, but it has yet to start high-volume production of these memory stacks.
SK hynix plans to ship its 12-Hi 36GB HBM3E memory stacks by the end of the year, in time for AMD's Instinct MI325X accelerator for AI and HPC that will carry 244GB of HBM3E memory, and several quarters before Nvidia intends to start shipments of its Blackwell Ultra GPU for AI and HPC applications.
"SK hynix has once again broken through technological limits demonstrating our industry leadership in AI memory," said Justin Kim, President (Head of AI Infra) at SK hynix. "We will continue our position as the No.1 global AI memory provider as we steadily prepare next-generation memory products to overcome the challenges of the AI era."
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