As they advance next-generation High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) technology, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are facing a critical decision: whether to fully adopt hybrid bonding technology. Despite its significant advantages, the two giants have become increasingly cautious in their rollout, as the immediate demands for HBM "thinning" and "heat dissipation" have eased.

According to media reports, Nanya Technology stated at its investor conference that next-generation AI accelerator computing platforms such as Rubin Ultra and TPA are driving up HBM bit demand and continuing to crowd out traditional DRAM capacity. The company expects global DRAM to remain in short supply through 2028. Nanya Technology estimates that its capacity will expand by approximately 69% from 2026 to 2028. Its new 5A fab will introduce 1C/1D nm advanced process nodes and add about 45,000 wafers in new capacity. Bit shipments are expected to grow 8% year-over-year in 2027 and 53% in 2028, reaching 6.75 billion Gb and 10.33 billion Gb, respectively. In addition, because the average price per Gb in Q2 has not yet fully reflected the contract price increases, and there is a timing lag in contract renewals with major long-term customers, the company sees room for upward revision in its Q3 ASP.

Intel has unveiled a new patented technology called XBM, which is designed as an alternative to HBM4 and offers higher bandwidth capabilities. XBM stands for Extended Bandwidth Memory and is a DRAM memory solution. Its package size will remain consistent with HBM4, with each chip's capacity ranging from 0.5GB to 5GB, featuring a 32GT/s UCIe universal chiplet interconnect interface. The core breakthrough lies in the migration of the manufacturing process. Traditional DRAM memory cells are fabricated in the front-end-of-line (FEOL), which is the underlying silicon substrate natively used for transistor fabrication. In contrast, XBM moves the 1T1C memory cell to the back-end-of-line (BEOL), placing it within the metal via stack region above the transistors, and employs thin-film transistor (TFT) technology.

According to Korean media and industry sources, Samsung Electronics has decided to postpone the mass production of its CXL 3.1-based memory modules (CMM-D 3.0). This decision is primarily driven by the delayed release of CPUs supporting the CXL 3.1 standard by manufacturers such as Intel and AMD. In the short term, Samsung will continue to maintain the production of its CXL 2.0-based CMM-D 2.0 products.

According to media reports, Micron Technology held a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday for the expansion of its plant in western Japan. The project involves an investment of 1.5 trillion yen (equivalent to $9.3 billion) to produce advanced memory chips, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM), primarily to meet demand from AI processors. Shipments of the related products are expected to begin around summer 2028. It is reported that Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will provide up to approximately 500 billion yen in subsidies. The project is part of Micron's global capacity expansion plan for AI memory, while the company is also advancing large-scale advanced-process investments in Idaho and New York to boost DRAM and HBM supply capabilities.

According to THE ELEC citing industry sources, SK hynix is in talks with equipment suppliers regarding the supply of semiconductor test equipment for its Cheongju P&T7 plant. Equipment suppliers are currently coordinating estimated delivery volumes for next year. It is estimated that the plant will require approximately 200 test equipment units, including HBM4 testers. Based on a unit price of KRW 1.5 billion to KRW 2 billion per machine, the total equipment value could reach as high as KRW 400 billion. Industry insiders indicated that SK hynix had initially planned to order around 200 test equipment units this year, but later reduced the order volume and deferred some orders to the second half of the year. The deferred demand may be concentrated in next year's P&T7 project.

According to media reports, Samsung Electronics' CTO and Head of the Semiconductor Research Institute, Song Jai Hyuk, stated at an internal DS Division business briefing that the reliability test yield for HBM4E has surpassed 70%. Regarding next-generation DRAM process development, Song Jai Hyuk indicated that the D1d process has achieved technological competitiveness ahead of rivals and has set a development goal of obtaining Production Readiness Approval (PRA) by November this year.

According to public information, Samsung Electronics recently filed a new patent for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) packaging, aiming to address the reliability challenges faced by high-stack products such as HBM4E and HBM5.

To proactively address the surging global demand for AI memory, SK Hynix has formulated a medium- to long-term investment strategy totaling 110 trillion won (approximately $71.3 billion).

According to South Korean media reports, Samsung Electronics has detailed its group-wide domestic investment plan valued at 2,655 trillion Korean won. The core of this plan is to expand production bases across the country, with a focus on developing artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors, robotics, batteries, and IT components and materials. It is reported that Samsung is investing 2,030 trillion won in nurturing semiconductor clusters, including the Pyeongtaek complex and the Yongin National Industrial Complex, and plans to invest 625 trillion won in the Honam, Chungcheong, and Yeongnam regions, with a focus on AI semiconductors, robotics, batteries, and IT components and materials.

Applied Materials has unveiled its product line of three-dimensional (3D) chip manufacturing equipment for AI semiconductors. The series primarily focuses on planarization, deposition, and metrology and inspection required for advanced packaging processes such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM), chiplets, and hybrid bonding. Specifically, the offerings include advanced chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), electrochemical deposition (ECD), and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) equipment for packaging applications, along with newly added electron-beam-based process control tools and enhanced epitaxial equipment for DRAM processes.

According to a report by South Korean media outlet inews24, SK Hynix's U.S. listing process has entered its final sprint. Meanwhile, Kioxia has released a timeline for issuing American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) in the U.S. and plans to implement a stock split to lower the entry barrier for retail investors. The intensive moves by these two industry titans signal that the AI memory supercycle is driving a profound restructuring of global capital markets.

Micron Technology has released its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2026, which ended May 28, 2026. This blockbuster earnings report not only beat Wall Street consensus estimates across all key metrics, but also unveiled a transformative long-term business model, signaling that the memory industry is evolving from a traditionally highly cyclical sector into high-value strategic infrastructure for the AI era. Fueled by this positive news, Micron's after-hours stock price once surged by more than 16%.

According to media reports, Samsung Electronics has recently allocated approximately 75,000 wafers to HBM4 production, which is half of its monthly HBM DRAM wafer input volume of 150,000 pieces, while the remaining half is dedicated to fifth-generation HBM3E 12-Hi products. It is said that production of the relatively lower-demand HBM3E 8-Hi products has been temporarily suspended, whose capacity has been shifted to HBM4 manufacturing.

JEDEC has developed and published the SPHBM4 standard. SPHBM4 is a new JEDEC standard that delivers performance close to HBM4 while using fewer signal pins, standard packaging, and more economical substrates. Reduction in signal pins will lead to some performance losses, but SPHBM4 mitigates this by increasing the signal speeds fourfold while reducing the number of signal pins to 1/5th. This leads to HBM-level bandwidth while using standard substrates.