SK hynix reportedly struggles with hybrid bonding for HBM

SK hynix is reportedly facing development challenges with hybrid bonding technology for HBM memory, according to a process development engineer at the company’s future technology research institute cited by Damnang. The reported issues have kept SK hynix from beginning sample production, while Samsung has reportedly already delivered HBM samples made with hybrid bonding to customers.

The delay could mark a significant setback for SK hynix, whose HBM products have led the global market by revenue share. Customers looking for higher capacities, stronger performance and more advanced memory technology may shift toward suppliers that can deliver hybrid-bonded HBM sooner.

Hybrid bonding permanently connects silicon chips using embedded metal bumps that fuse together, allowing multiple dies or full wafers to be stacked through their back ends. By replacing traditional chip bumps with direct copper interconnections, the technique can shorten signal paths, reduce latency, improve performance and lower signal distortion.