Samsung Electronics is expected to more than double output of its HBM4 and HBM4E high-bandwidth memory chips next year, according to semiconductor industry sources cited by local media.
The expansion is being signaled through increased demand for glass carriers, materials essential to HBM production. Samsung plans to raise outsourced cleaning volume for glass carriers to 50,000 sheets per month next year, up from 20,000 sheets this year—a 2.5-fold increase. Glass carrier requirements were only 10,000 sheets monthly last year, indicating rapid acceleration in the space.
Glass carriers are temporary glass supports attached to the underside of HBM DRAM wafers to prevent bending or cracking while wafers are ground thin and drilled. Because HBM technology requires stacking multiple DRAM dies within limited thickness, the wafer-thinning process and warpage control become increasingly critical as stack counts rise. The carriers are reusable after cleaning.
The HBM4 and HBM4E products Samsung is preparing to scale center on 12-layer and higher stacks. Industry analysts say that even accounting for glass carrier reuse and variable consumption depending on process loading and yield, a 2.5-fold increase in related volume makes a doubling of HBM4 and HBM4E output highly probable.
Samsung began mass-production shipments of HBM4 in February, using 10-nanometer-class sixth-generation DRAM with a base die built on a 4-nanometer process. The company also provided 12-layer HBM4E samples to customers including Nvidia in May.
Industry analysis suggests Samsung’s total HBM production will grow nearly 40% next year, reaching approximately 250,000 wafers monthly from roughly 180,000 this year. By product mix, the HBM4 family is projected to grow from around 40% of output this year to about 80% next year as HBM4E mass production ramps up. An industry official stated that Samsung appears to be placing HBM4, described as a high-value product, at the center of its HBM expansion strategy.
Key facts
- Samsung plans to increase glass carrier outsourcing to 50,000 sheets per month next year from 20,000 this year—a 2.5-fold increase
- HBM4 and HBM4E family output is expected to more than double next year
- HBM4 family products are projected to rise from 40% to 80% of Samsung’s HBM output mix by next year
- Samsung began HBM4 mass production in February and provided HBM4E samples to customers like Nvidia in May