With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology and the growing demand for high-performance computing, advanced packaging technology has become a key competitive area in the semiconductor industry. Recently, SK hynix's silicon interposer collaboration with Amkor has attracted a lot of attention from the industry. This collaboration not only marks SK hynix's further expansion in the field of 2.5D packaging technology, but also indicates that its competitiveness in the high-performance memory (HBM) market will be further enhanced. China Exportsemi Web will deeply analyze the background, technical details and impact of this cooperation on the market, and discuss its significance in the AI era with specific data and examples.
1. Background and technical details of cooperation
1. Background of cooperation
Korean media Money Today reported that SK hynix and OSAT giant Amkor have negotiated a silicon intermediary layer cooperation. SK hynix will supply HBM memory and silicon interposers for 2.5D packaging to Amkor, and Amkor will be responsible for integrating customer logic chips with SK hynix's HBM memory using the silicon interposer. SK hynix officials said that the negotiations are still in the early stages, and the company is conducting various reviews to provide an intermediary layer to meet the needs of customers.
2. Technical Details
The silicon interposer is an excellent HBM memory integration intermediary material and is regarded as the core of 2.5D packaging. Currently, only four companies in the world (TSMC, Samsung Electronics, Intel, UMC) have the capability to prepare silicon interposers, and the first three companies have become leaders in specialized advanced packaging. If SK hynix can achieve mass production of silicon interposers, it means that it can provide a complete set of "HBM + silicon interposers", which is no longer completely constrained by TSMC's CoWoS production capacity, and can improve SK hynix's ability to deliver HBM to customers such as NVIDIA.
2. Market impact and competitive situation
1. Market Impact
With the overall increase in the demand for AI, the demand for advanced packaging is also increasing. TSMC's CoWoS technology is currently the mainstream solution for HBM integration with CPU/GPU processors. According to TrendForce statistics, driven by the demand for A100 and H100 related AI servers, NVIDIA's demand for CoWoS production capacity will increase significantly, coupled with the growth of demand for high-end AI chips such as AMD and Google, CoWoS production capacity may be in short supply in the second half of 2023. Through the cooperation with Amkor, SK hynix will be able to enhance its competitiveness in the HBM market and reduce its dependence on TSMC's CoWoS production capacity to better meet market demand.
Figure: The battle for advanced packaging technology in the AI era is intensifying
2. Competitive Landscape
Samsung Electronics plans to compete with SK hynix for HBM orders through a turnkey solution of logic foundry + HBM memory + advanced packaging. Through close cooperation between the memory division and the foundry division, Samsung optimizes the performance and power consumption levels of HBM4 chips in order to dominate the HBM market. SK hynix's extension of its own product chain will also help reduce the impact of Samsung Electronics on HBM's business. In addition, Samsung's HBM3E is expected to be certified and shipped in the third quarter of 2023, and will be ready for mass production supply after the relevant procedures are completed.
3. Technological progress and future prospects
1. Technological advancement
HBM technology has been developed to the fourth generation, and the fifth generation HBM3E is already on the way. SK hynix announced in April 2024 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with TSMC on the development of HBM4, a next-generation HBM product, and cooperation on next-generation packaging technology, with plans to start mass production in 2026. Samsung plans to mass produce HBM4 in 2025 to further improve the performance and capacity of HBM. Founder Securities predicts that in 2023, the mainstream HBM demand will be upgraded from HBM2E to HBM3 or even HBM3E, and the proportion of HBM3 demand is estimated to be about 39%, an increase of more than 30% from 2022, and 60% in 2024.
2. Future outlook
As the popularity of AI servers continues to soar, the demand for HBM market is growing at an "unimaginable" rate. Both SK hynix and Samsung are aggressively expanding their HBM production capacity to meet growing market demand. SK hynix plans to build an advanced AI memory packaging production facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, with a total investment of about USD 3.87 billion, to start mass production of next-generation AI memory products, including HBM, from 2028. Samsung Electronics also emphasized in its Q1 2024 earnings call on April 30 that "in 2024, our HBM bit supply actually more than tripled compared to last year."
Conclusion
SK hynix's silicon interposer collaboration with Amkor is an important step in the high-performance memory market. Through this partnership, SK hynix will not only enhance its competitiveness in the HBM market, but also reduce its dependence on external production capacity to better meet customer needs. At the same time, this cooperation has also intensified competition with competitors such as Samsung Electronics, driving technological advancement and market expansion throughout the industry. In the future, with the continuous development of AI technology, the HBM market will usher in greater development space, and the competition among major manufacturers will become more intense. This cooperation is not only a reflection of technological progress, but also a strategic choice driven by market demand, indicating that in the AI era, advanced packaging technology will become a new highland of competition in the semiconductor industry.
