SK Hynix extends lead in high-bandwidth segment as it readies production for next-gen memory chips

South Korean representation chipmaker SK Hynix said Friday that it was acceptable for wide producing its next-generation high-bandwidth representation chips, staying up of rivals, and sending the company's banal soaring. 

HBM is simply a benignant of representation that is utilized successful chipsets for artificial-intelligence computing, including successful chips from global AI elephantine Nvidia — a large lawsuit of SK Hynix. 

SK Hynix said earlier this twelvemonth that it had shipped samples of its HBM4 chips to customers, arsenic it sought to bushed competitors including Samsung Electronics and Micron Technologies.

According to its announcement Friday, the institution has finished its interior validation and prime assurance process for HBM4 and is acceptable to manufacture those astatine scale.

"Completion of HBM4 improvement volition beryllium a caller milestone for the industry," Joohwan Cho, caput of HBM improvement astatine SK Hynix, said.

HBM4 is the sixth procreation of HBM exertion — a benignant of Dynamic Random Access Memory, oregon DRAM. DRAM tin beryllium recovered successful idiosyncratic computers, workstations and servers and is utilized to store information and programme code.

SK Hynix's latest HBM4 merchandise has doubled bandwidth and accrued powerfulness ratio by 40% compared to the erstwhile generation, according to the company.  

Notably, HBM4 is expected to beryllium the main AI representation spot needed for Nvidia's next-generation Rubin architecture — a much almighty AI spot for planetary information centers — said Dan Nystedt, vice-president astatine TriOrient, an Asia-based backstage concern steadfast with a absorption connected semiconductors.

"SK Hynix is simply a cardinal supplier for Nvidia, and the announcement shows it remains acold ahead of rivals," helium said.

Samsung Electronics and Micron person struggled to drawback up to SK Hynix successful HBM, arsenic it builds connected its conception enactment and benefits from being Nvidia's main HBM supplier. 

Micron has besides shipped samples of its HBM4 products to customers, portion Samsung has reportedly been moving to get its HBM4 chips certified by Nvidia. However, analysts expect SK Hynix's dominance to persist into adjacent year.

This company's shares roseate much than 7% Friday to deed their highest since 2000, pursuing its spot announcement, bringing year-to-date to astir 90%. Shares of Samsung Electronics and Micron person risen implicit 40% and astir 80% successful 2025, respectively.

SK Hynix posted grounds operating nett and gross for its June-quarter, acknowledgment to beardown HBM demand, which accounted for 77% of its wide revenues.

The institution expects to treble HBM income for the afloat twelvemonth compared to 2024, and for request from AI to proceed to turn into 2026.