SK hynix plant in Icheon
SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — SK Hynix Inc. said it expects to retain its lead in fifth-generation high-bandwidth memory, known as HBM3E, through 2026 while laying the groundwork to compete in the next generation of advanced memory, HBM4.
In a statement posted Monday on its website, the South Korean chipmaker cited an analysis by Goldman Sachs projecting that SK Hynix will “maintain its dominant position in HBM3 and HBM3E until at least 2026,” reflecting its early lead in both production scale and customer adoption.
The company said major technology firms, including Nvidia, Google and Amazon Web Services, have chosen HBM3E for use in application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs—custom chips designed for specialized computing tasks such as artificial intelligence workloads.
A high bandwidth memory (HBM) product of SK hynx Inc. is displayed at an exhibition held in the southeastern city of Gyeongju on Oct. 28, 2025. (Yonhap)
HBM has become a critical component in AI accelerators, where high-speed data transfer between memory and processors is essential. Industry analysts expect demand for the technology to remain strong as cloud providers and chip designers race to expand AI infrastructure.
SK Hynix said it plans to sustain its advantage by continuing volume production of HBM3E while simultaneously building development and supply capabilities for HBM4, the next-generation standard expected to gain traction later in the decade.
Market analysts anticipate that HBM3E will account for roughly two-thirds of global HBM shipments in 2026, with HBM4 gradually increasing its share as customers begin transitioning to the newer technology.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
