Business · The Register
SK Hynix’s aspirations for ’Merica-made HBM inch closer to reality
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SK Hynix has reportedly broken ground on a new advanced memory packaging facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, that should boost the supply of US-made high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a key component in high-end AI accelerators from the likes of Nvidia and AMD.
Key facts
- Back in October, Amkor broke ground on the $7 billion, 750,000 square foot facility, with construction expected to be completed in the middle of next year and production slated to start in early 2028
- Unlike the system memory used in notebooks, smartphones, and general purpose servers, HBM requires specialized packaging and test services to stack multiple layers, often 8-12, of DRAM together
- This week, SK Hynix also broke ground on a similar advanced packaging facility at the Cheongju Technopolis Industrial Park located in Heungdeok-gu, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea
- Today, most HBM memory is manufactured in Korea by Samsung and SK Hynix, with Micron being the United States' primary source of homegrown memory
Summary
Unlike the system memory used in notebooks, smartphones, and general purpose servers, HBM requires specialized packaging and test services to stack multiple layers, often 8-12, of DRAM together to form a single module. Today, most HBM memory is manufactured in Korea by Samsung and SK Hynix, with Micron being the United States' primary source of homegrown memory. Late last week, South Korean newspaper the Herald Economy reported that SK had notified local officials that construction of the facility's foundation was now underway, with vertical construction slated for later this year. Alongside the packaging plant, the facility will also house an R&D facility where SK Hynix will develop future generations of chips.