SK Hynix has reached a significant milestone with its sixth-generation 12-layer High Bandwidth Memory (HBM4), achieving a 70% yield rate in testing. This advancement establishes a solid foundation for the upcoming mass production phase and positions SK Hynix favorably in the competitive HBM4 market.
Yield rate, a critical metric measuring the proportion of functional semiconductor units produced, directly impacts a company's market competitiveness. SK Hynix's 12-layer HBM4 had already reached a 60% yield rate by the end of 2024, and according to recent reports, this has now improved to 70%, demonstrating rapid progress.
Industry sources indicate that SK Hynix's success with HBM4 development can be attributed to the implementation of its fifth-generation 10nm-class DRAM (1b) technology. This proven technology has already demonstrated reliability in performance and stability, having been deployed in SK Hynix's HBM3e products.
Given that the company's HBM3E memory previously achieved its target yield rate of 80% while reducing mass production time by 50%, industry analysts predict that the 12-layer HBM4 products will similarly transition quickly to mass production. SK Hynix has reportedly completed internal technology development and evaluation phases, and is now preparing to provide samples for customer performance testing, after which mass production can commence.
The 12-layer HBM4 memory is expected to be incorporated into NVIDIA's next-generation AI accelerators, codenamed "Grace Hopper." Previous reports have suggested that NVIDIA plans to begin mass production of the "Grace Hopper" series earlier than initially scheduled, moving the timeline up to the second half of 2025. This schedule adjustment may prompt SK Hynix to further accelerate its efforts to improve HBM4 yield rates and mass production processes to meet customer demands.
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