The world's third-largest memory semiconductor corporation, Micron Technology, has expressed confidence that it will sell out its production of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips next year, which are essential components for artificial intelligence (AI). While SK hynix, the top HBM company, is currently negotiating with its major customer Nvidia regarding next year's supply, Micron has jumped ahead by mentioning the possibility of a sellout.
According to semiconductor industry sources and foreign news reports on the 13th, Sumit Sadhana, Micron's chief business officer (CBO), announced the earnings forecast for the fourth quarter of the fiscal year during the 'Technology Leadership Forum' hosted by KeyBank on the 11th (local time), stating, "We have been discussing the 2026 HBM supply with our customers and have made significant progress in recent months," adding, "Based on this, we are confident that we can sell out our entire HBM supply for next year."
He added, "The yield rate for 12-layer HBM3E is increasing much faster than for 8-layer, and the shipment volume of 12-layer products has already surpassed that of 8-layer products." The supply volume Micron referred to for next year is predominantly HBM3E (fifth generation) 12-layer, with HBM4 (sixth generation) also expected to be included.
The suppliers of the dominant product, 12-layer HBM3E, which controls 90% of the AI chip market, are SK hynix and Micron. Samsung Electronics is undergoing quality testing by Nvidia. Micron has differentiated itself from competitors by directly mentioning Nvidia as a customer while announcing mass production news of HBM3E. The recent mention of the 'sellout' is interpreted as a remark considering the supply potential to Nvidia.
Micron also expressed confidence regarding HBM4. The three memory companies have already supplied HBM4 samples to major customers such as Nvidia. However, production schedules vary: SK hynix and Samsung Electronics are aiming for the second half of this year, while Micron targets next year.
Sadhana CBO stated, "Our HBM4 will be produced on the same 1β node as HBM3E, which is a very mature and high-performance node," adding, "In contrast, one of our competitors is trying to produce HBM4 on a 1c node, which will require additional work for new technology verification." The 1β process refers to Micron's designation for fifth-generation 10-nanometer DRAM, while the next generation, 1c, is a sixth-generation 10-nanometer DRAM believed to be applied by Samsung Electronics starting with HBM4.
Regarding the next-generation product HBM4E (seventh generation), Sadhana CBO said, "Some customers are looking for customized products that integrate GPU logic into HBM base die in HBM4E," noting, "Such customized development will incur high expenses, so we will collaborate with only a small number of suppliers, which could alter the market structure."