SK Hynix Develops World's First Memory for ChatGPT Stacking 12 Chips... Capacity Increased by 50%

SK Hynix has introduced innovative process and packaging technologies to overcome the limitations of the highest-performance DRAM currently available, High Bandwidth Memory (HBM). Through this, the maximum capacity of HBM3, which was 16 gigabytes (GB), has been increased to 24GB.

SK Hynix announced on the 20th that it has developed a new HBM3 product with the highest capacity of 24GB by vertically stacking 12 individual DRAM chips for the first time in the world, and is having the product performance verified by customers. The previous maximum capacity of HBM3 was 16GB, achieved by vertically stacking 8 individual DRAM chips.

SK Hynix stated, “Following the world’s first mass production of HBM3 in June last year, we have succeeded in developing a 24GB package product that increases capacity by 50% compared to the existing one,” and added, “As the use of conversational artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots expands recently, we will supply new products to the market from the second half of the year to meet the growing demand for premium memory.”

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HBM is a high value-added, high-performance product that connects multiple DRAM chips vertically to dramatically increase data processing speed compared to conventional DRAM. It is considered essential memory for generative AI, which has recently gained attention through ChatGPT. Since developing HBM for the first time in the world in 2013, SK Hynix has introduced products in the order of 1st generation (HBM) - 2nd generation (HBM2) - 3rd generation (HBM2E) - 4th generation (HBM3).

SK Hynix’s engineering team applied Advanced MR-MUF and TSV technologies to the new product. Advanced MR-MUF enhanced process efficiency and product performance stability. Using TSV, 12 DRAM chips that are 40% thinner than before were vertically stacked to realize a new product with the same height as the 16GB product.

MR-MUF is a process in which, after stacking semiconductor chips, a liquid protective material is injected into the spaces between chips and solidified to protect the circuits between them. This process is more efficient and effective for heat dissipation than the method of laying film-type materials each time chips are stacked. TSV is an advanced packaging technology that drills thousands of tiny holes in DRAM chips, vertically penetrating the holes of upper and lower chips to connect electrodes.

SK Hynix is providing HBM3 24GB samples to numerous global customers for performance verification. Sanghoo Hong, Vice President (in charge of P&T) at SK Hynix, said, “Based on the world’s best back-end process technology, we have continuously developed ultra-high-speed, high-capacity HBM products,” and added, “We have completed preparations for mass production of new products in the first half of the year and will firmly establish leadership in the cutting-edge DRAM market in the AI era.”

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