Samsung Electronics is making substantial strides in the realm of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) with the unveiling of its 5th generation HBM3E product, dubbed "Shinebolt." This innovation is part of Samsung's broader initiative to accelerate the advancement and commercialization of HBM3E technology, with the aim of closely tailing the market leader, SK hynix1.
The Technical Leap
The Shinebolt prototype encompasses 24 gigabit (Gb) chips stacked in 8 layers. Industry insiders revealed that the development of a 36 gigabyte (GB) variant with 12 layers is nearing completion. This new HBM3E memory boasts a maximum data transfer speed that is approximately 50% faster than its predecessor, HBM3, clocking in at an impressive 1.228 terabytes (TB) of bandwidth. This substantial leap in performance is crucial as HBM technology is widely recognized as the next-gen DRAM especially in the burgeoning Artificial Intelligence (AI) era1.
Competition and Future Strategies
The journey towards the apex of HBM technology is marked by intense competition, particularly in the bonding process which is a pivotal manufacturing step. Samsung has consistently employed the thermal compression-non-conductive film (TC-NCF) method since the early stages of HBM production. There's anticipation in the industry to see if Samsung can outperform the advanced mass reflow-molded underfill (MR-MUF) process that SK hynix adopted beginning from HBM31.
Moreover, Samsung is exploring strategies to expedite the development of a potentially revolutionary "hybrid bonding" process for HBM. This enthusiasm is echoed by Lee Jung-bae, president of Samsung Electronics’ memory business, who affirmed the smooth progress in HBM3 production and the development of the next-gen HBM3E. He also mentioned the plans to expand and offer custom-made HBM solutions for clients1.
Benchmarking Against Peers
The HBM3E technology is not confined to Samsung; other industry giants like SK hynix are also on the vanguard of HBM3E memory development. For instance, SK hynix has announced HBM3E memory capable of processing data up to 1.15 TB/s, which equivocates to handling more than 230 Full-HD movies of 5GB-size each in a second2. In a similar vein, Samsung's HBM3E memory stacks are projected to offer a 9.8 GT/s data transfer rate, thereby advancing the high-performance computing (HPC) and AI applications3.
In conclusion, the advent of Shinebolt is a testament to Samsung's relentless endeavor to regain its footing in the advanced memory production landscape. As the HBM technology continues to evolve, the industry is keenly watching the competitive dynamics and the potential game-changing innovations that may redefine the high-performance computing domain.
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