South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix announced on September 26 that it has begun mass production of the world's first 12-layer HBM3E memory chip with a capacity of 36GB, the largest available for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) products. This breakthrough comes just six months after the company released its 8-layer HBM3E version in March. 

Notably, SK Hynix remains the only company globally to have developed and supplied the entire HBM lineup, from HBM1 to HBM3E, since debuting the world’s first HBM in 2013.

The new HBM3E chip meets the highest global standards for speed, capacity, and reliability, essential for AI applications. Its operational speed has been increased to 9.6 Gbps, allowing a single GPU equipped with four of these chips to process 70 billion parameters 35 times per second while running advanced AI models like Llama 3 70B.

SK Hynix achieved a 50% increase in capacity by stacking 12 3GB DRAM chips at the same thickness as the previous 8-layer version. Each chip is 40% thinner and employs Through Silicon Via (TSV) technology, which connects chips vertically for enhanced performance. Additionally, the company utilized its Advanced MR-MUF process to improve heat dissipation by 10% and bolster product stability through better warpage control.

The announcement has resulted in a surge of over 9% in SK Hynix’s shares, reflecting investor optimism about the company’s leadership in the AI memory market. As a key supplier to companies like Nvidia, SK Hynix is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for high-performance memory solutions.

In a statement, Justin Kim, President of AI Infrastructure at SK Hynix, emphasized the company’s commitment to innovation, stating, “We will continue to lead in AI memory and develop next-generation products to meet the challenges of the AI era.”