SK hynix said it can continue to lead the market based on mass-production Production yield and quality, and customer trust, even as rivals improve their high bandwidth memory (HBM) competitiveness.
In a conference call for second-quarter 2026 earnings held on the 29th, SK hynix said, "HBM competitiveness is complete only when, beyond delivering the performance customers demand, a company also has the capability to supply in volume with stable Production yield and quality."
It added, "SK hynix has steadily proven these capabilities since the third-generation HBM (HBM2E)," and said, "The competitiveness accumulated across market launch timing, product performance, mass-production Production yield, quality, and customer trust is a differentiator that is hard to secure in a short period."
Starting this second quarter, SK hynix began mass-production supply of HBM4, the sixth-generation HBM, to major customers. The company said, "The mass-production Production yield and quality of HBM4 are at levels close to previous-generation HBM products that have entered a mature phase," and explained, "We are stably expanding production capacity."
HBM4E, the successor to HBM4, has completed sample shipments to customers. SK hynix said, "We applied an optimal process that has secured technological maturity and mass-production stability," and added, "Development is proceeding on the planned timeline, and we are targeting full-scale mass production in 2027."
It is also developing hybrid bonding and heat dissipation control technologies for next-generation HBM. SK hynix plans to reduce thermal resistance by more than 30% from current levels through "iHBM," which places cooling elements inside the HBM package. The goal is to reduce heat generation in high-performance, high-density products such as HBM5 to improve system stability and operational efficiency.
SK hynix said, "As the AI market expands and AI accelerators' performance and packaging structures become more advanced, customers will prefer partners with proven mass-production capabilities and quality, and stable supply capacity," adding, "Because HBM is a high value-added product, defects impose very large expense burdens on customers and have significant impacts across entire systems."
It added, "Based on early co-development experience with customers and long-term cooperation, we will deliver the products customers require in a timely and stable manner and lead next-generation technology transitions," and, "We expect to continue our leadership in the HBM market going forward."