SK hynix's iHBM to cut thermal resistance by 30% to combat AI memory overheating
Seoul, May 26
SK hynix's iHBM tackles heat choking next-gen high-bandwidth memory by building cooling channels directly into its HBM chips. According to a news report by The Korea Herald on Tuesday, the South Korean chipmaker introduced this advanced packaging technology to combat rising temperatures, which represent a significant engineering obstacle that limits how far artificial intelligence memory scales.
HBM is the specialized memory stacked next to AI accelerator chips, and SK hynix is the world's leading supplier of it. As stacks grow taller and faster to feed AI workloads, they generate more heat, and that heat now caps how far the technology can scale. The hottest point sits along the high-speed link between the memory and the processor.
As per the news report, the new technology embeds silicon-based cooling elements inside the package right next to the critical hotspot. Silicon conducts heat efficiently without conducting electricity, allowing the hardware to create a dedicated thermal escape path that does not interfere with the internal circuitry.
SK hynix said the design cuts thermal resistance by more than 30 per cent and holds performance steady under high-temperature, high-load conditions.
"iHBM is an optimal solution for minimizing heat, developed by combining our memory design capabilities with advanced packaging technology," the news report quoted Lee Kang-wook, head of package development.
The company stated that the new architecture utilizes its Advanced MR-MUF process, which already has a proven track record in mass production. The packaging fits into existing customer layouts without requiring major architectural redesigns, a factor that lowers the practical barrier to adoption for global technology clients.
The report noted that SK hynix plans to integrate the new technology starting with the HBM5 generation. "SK hynix plans to apply iHBM starting with HBM5, a generation that Counterpoint Research expects to arrive around 2029 to 2030, when the industry is also expected to shift to hybrid bonding, a method that connects stacked chips by joining copper directly without today's bump structure," the report said.
The announcement comes as demand is running well ahead of what SK hynix can build. As per the report, on SK hynix's first-quarter earnings call last month, the company said customer requests for HBM over the next three years exceed its production capacity.
That quarter brought record results with operating profit of 37.6 trillion won (USD 24.9 billion), up more than 405 per cent from a year earlier, on revenue of 52.6 trillion won (approx USD 36 billion), with an operating margin of 72 per cent that is rare for a manufacturer.
The competitive landscape is not static. Citing a Counterpoint Research, the report noted that data shows Samsung Electronics reclaimed the top spot in overall DRAM revenue in the fourth quarter of 2025 after a year in second place, even as SK hynix held a commanding 57 per cent of the HBM market.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting timing—SK hynix can't even meet current demand, and they're already talking about HBM5 in 2029-30. I think this is a smart long-term play though. As AI models get bigger, heat will kill performance unless you do something radical. India's data centre operators must be watching this closely, especially with all the AI compute we're planning.
The 72% operating margin is insane. 🤯 That's what happens when you're the only game in town for HBM. But Samsung is breathing down their neck. I wonder if this iHBM will give them an edge or if Samsung will come up with their own solution. Either way, Korea is dominating memory while India is still importing everything.
As someone working in thermal engineering, this embedded silicon cooling method is clever. Standard TIMs can only do so much. But I'm skeptical about the "no major redesign" claim—anytime you add features to a package, there are integration costs. Still, 30% better thermal resistance is nothing to sneeze at. Let's see if HBM5 actually ships with this.
Korea is 10-15 years ahead of us in semiconductor packaging. Every time I read news like this, I feel the urgency for India to get its act together. We have the talent, but the ecosystem is missing. Private companies should partner with SK hynix or Samsung to transfer some of this knowledge. Otherwise we'll always be consumers, not creators.
Wait, customer demand for the next 3 years already exceeds production
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