Samsung, SK Hynix rethink hybrid bonding timeline for next-gen HBM

Samsung and SK Hynix’s delay in adopting hybrid bonding for next-gen HBM reveals persistent yield and cost hurdles in advanced packaging. This setback forces AI chipmakers like NVIDIA and AMD to recalibrate bandwidth roadmaps, leaning more heavily on established CoWoS or InFO solutions. Tightening U.S.-South Korea export controls further inflate R&D costs by restricting access to critical bonding equipment. TSMC, with its mature SoIC platform and AI-focused capacity allocation in Taiwan, China, is positioned to deepen its influence over the HBM3E/4 ecosystem. Over the next 12–24 months, the industry will likely settle into a 'quasi-hybrid' interim phase—using refined microbump architectures to sustain performance gains. However, if Korean memory leaders fail to resolve TSV alignment and dielectric uniformity issues by 2027, their premium positioning in high-end memory could face irreversible erosion.