A person walks previous a brand of SK Hynix on the foyer of the corporate’s Bundang workplace in Seongnam on January 29, 2021.
Jung Yeon-Je | AFP | Getty Pictures
South Korean reminiscence chipmaker SK Hynix stated Friday that it was able to mass produce its next-generation high-bandwidth reminiscence chips, staying forward of rivals and sending the corporate’s inventory hovering.
HBM is a kind of reminiscence that’s utilized in chipsets for artificial-intelligence computing, together with in chips from world AI big Nvidia — a significant consumer of SK Hynix.
SK Hynix stated earlier this yr that it had shipped samples of its HBM4 chips to prospects, because it sought to beat rivals together with Samsung Electronics and Micron Applied sciences.
In keeping with its announcement Friday, the corporate has completed its inner validation and high quality assurance course of for HBM4 and is able to manufacture these at scale.
“Completion of HBM4 growth might be a brand new milestone for the business,” stated Joohwan Cho, head of HBM growth at SK Hynix.
HBM4 is the sixth technology of HBM expertise — a kind of Dynamic Random Entry Reminiscence, or DRAM. DRAM could be present in private computer systems, workstations and servers and is used to retailer knowledge and program code.
SK Hynix’s newest HBM4 product has doubled bandwidth and elevated energy effectivity by 40% in comparison with the earlier technology, in keeping with the corporate.
Notably, HBM4 is predicted to be the primary AI reminiscence chip wanted for Nvidia’s next-generation Rubin structure — a extra highly effective AI chip for world knowledge facilities — stated Dan Nystedt, vice-president at TriOrient, an Asia-based non-public funding agency with a concentrate on semiconductors.
“SK Hynix is a key provider for Nvidia, and the announcement reveals it stays far forward of rivals,” he stated.
Samsung Electronics and Micron have struggled to catch as much as SK Hynix in HBM, because it builds on its phase management and advantages from being Nvidia’s fundamental HBM provider.
Nonetheless, the businesses have made some progress. Micron has additionally shipped samples of its HBM4 merchandise to prospects, whereas Samsung has reportedly been working to get its HBM4 chips licensed by Nvidia.
“Regardless of the shifting aggressive panorama, we anticipate SK Hynix will keep a commanding place, doubtlessly securing round 50% of the HBM market share by 2026,” stated MS Hwang, analysis director at Counterpoint Analysis, protecting reminiscence options.
SK Hynix shares rose greater than 7% Friday to hit their highest since 2000, following its chip announcement, bringing year-to-date beneficial properties to almost 90%. Shares of Samsung Electronics and Micron have risen over 40% and practically 80% in 2025, respectively.
SK Hynix posted document working revenue and income for its June-quarter, because of sturdy HBM demand, which accounted for 77% of its general revenues. The corporate’s market capitalization has elevated by greater than $80 billion for the reason that begin of the yr, in keeping with knowledge from S&P Capital IQ.
The agency expects to double HBM gross sales for the complete yr in comparison with 2024, and for demand from AI to proceed to develop into 2026.
