SK hynix shifts more DRAM output to 1c node

SK hynix is accelerating its transition to the sixth-generation 10 nm class 1c DRAM node as it shifts more production toward advanced memory processes. The 1c node accounted for 10% of production in Q1 2026 and rose to about 13% in Q2. Output is expected to reach 24% in the current third quarter, followed by more than a third (34%) in Q4.

By Q1 2027, 1c is expected to account for around 35% of SK hynix DRAM production, overtaking the fifth-generation 10 nm-class 1b node at 33% as the company’s dominant process. DRAM node naming differs from conventional logic processes, with manufacturers scaling variations of 10 nm using more EUV layers and other process advances.

The 1b node is around 12-13 nm in actual design and uses about 4 layers of EUV patterning, while 1c shrinks to 11-12 nm with 5-6 layers of EUV. SK hynix plans to use 1c for HBM4E, LPDDR6, and DDR5, while 1b supports DDR5, LPDDR5X, HBM3E, and HBM4.