Samsung Electronics has its own capacity to produce HBM memory logic elements, but for the production of HBM4 it decided to join forces with TSMC, which is the largest contract manufacturer of semiconductor components. So Samsung expects to increase market coverage with the implementation of HBM4.
Image Source: Samsung Electronics
Many industry players insist that the HBM market will continue to see a growing trend towards tailoring this type of memory chip to the needs of specific customers. Recognizing this, Samsung is going to collaborate with TSMC to produce logic components for HBM4 chips, as well as expand the ability to integrate memory with components from third-party customers who use TSMC services. In the contract segment, TSMC and Samsung are direct competitors, but this did not stop the South Korean giant from agreeing to cooperate.
At the beginning of the month, as Business Korea notes, Samsung representatives announced the preparation of more than 20 HBM chips, tailored to the needs of specific customers. And yesterday, TSMC representatives at an industry conference in Taiwan admitted that the company is developing HBM4 bufferless memory in collaboration with Samsung. The buffer in HBM chips is traditionally responsible for a more stable power supply, but eliminating it can improve energy efficiency by 40% and reduce delays in information transfer by 10%. Samsung intends to switch to a bufferless layout when releasing HBM4 from the end of 2025. At the same time, the company will produce some of the HBM4 chips independently, but at the same time cooperate in this area with TSMC.