The Dawn Of Hbm4 Era: Micron Races To Dominate The Ai Memory Frontier

June 10, 2024 – Micron Technology announced it has begun shipping 36GB HBM4 (12-layer stacked) engineering samples to key customers, marking a new phase for its high-bandwidth memory (HBM) products and delivering enhanced computing power for next-generation AI acceleration platforms.

The new HBM4 memory leverages Micron’s mature 1β (1-beta) process technology and 24Gb DRAM dies, featuring 12-layer stacking, a 2048-bit interface, and per-stack bandwidth exceeding 2.0TB/s—a >60% performance uplift and >20% power efficiency improvement over the previous HBM3E generation. Equipped with advanced MBIST (memory built-in self-test) capabilities, it significantly boosts data exchange efficiency with xPU logic dies, optimizing AI inference speeds and energy consumption.

Micron stated that HBM4 is designed for seamless integration into next-gen AI systems, particularly targeting large language models (LLMs) and high-density inference workloads in data centers. The company plans to ramp up HBM4 production in 2026, aligning with customer AI platform rollouts to enable intelligent upgrades across healthcare, finance, transportation, and other sectors.

The HBM4 market is fiercely competitive. SK Hynix has already delivered samples to NVIDIA and aims for mass production in 2024, while Samsung is advancing HBM4 development using its 1c DRAM process, with validation expected in Q3 this year. Though slightly behind in sampling, Micron has outpaced Samsung and is rapidly closing the gap with industry leaders.

Raj Narasimhan, SVP of Micron’s Cloud & Memory Business Unit, emphasized: *“HBM4’s performance, higher bandwidth, and leading power efficiency underscore our relentless innovation in memory technology. We’re committed to empowering customers in the generative AI era through our robust portfolio of AI-optimized memory and storage solutions.”*

The launch of HBM4 not only solidifies Micron’s position in the AI memory arena but also signals the semiconductor industry’s shift toward higher-density, lower-power 3D integration. As AI models grow exponentially, high-speed, low-latency memory solutions like HBM4—with their breakthroughs in bandwidth, efficiency, and packaging—are becoming critical to overcoming system bottlenecks, particularly for generative AI, LLMs, and graph neural networks.

Moreover, HBM4 deployment will catalyze growth across the supply chain, including advanced packaging (e.g., TSMC’s CoWoS, Samsung’s I-Cube), high-performance PCB substrates, and testing equipment, driving the global semiconductor ecosystem toward higher performance, lower power, and greater integration.

While SK Hynix and Samsung maintain leads in first-mover advantage and process nodes, Micron is narrowing the gap through technical breakthroughs and customer collaboration. As HBM4 enters mass production in 2026, the AI memory market may witness a significant reshuffle.

In the AI-driven compute era, high-bandwidth memory is poised to be the core engine for performance leaps—and HBM4 stands as a pivotal milestone in this race.