SK hynix and Samsung talk about HBM4E memory: up to 20 tiers and 64 GB in one stack

Since SK hynix has already admitted to starting to ship samples of HBM4 memory chips, it would be strange to keep their specifications a secret. Computer Base has managed to summarize all the information released in recent days about the plans of leading players in the HBM4 production field, and the specifications of this memory are intriguing.

Image source: ComputerBase.de

Although SK hynix yesterday announced the start of deliveries of 12-tier HBM4 stacks with a capacity of 36 GB and a speed of 8 Gbps. But these figures, of course, will not be the limit. Predictably, the height of the stacks will first increase to 16 pieces, and in the future it will reach 20 pieces, but the latter characteristic will most likely be inherent in the successor of HBM4. SK hynix intends to offer 16-tier HBM4 stacks with a capacity of 48 GB. No one is going to limit the throughput to 8 Gbps either, since the same Samsung Electronics intends to raise it to 9.2 Gbps.

Image source: ComputerBase.de

These days, even the American Micron Technology has made a note, succinctly stating that it will begin to produce HBM4 memory in large quantities in 2026. Samsung also explains that it intends to offer both HBM4 and HBM4E in a 16-tier design, but if in the first case the maximum stack volume will be limited to 36 GB, then in the second it will reach 64 GB. At the same time, the memory bandwidth will increase from 9.2 to 10 Gbps. When releasing HBM4 and HBM4E, as Samsung explains, more complex lithography will be used, inherent in the technologies for producing logic components. Most likely, it will be required for the release of the base stack crystal.