[News] SK hynix Rumored to Team up with Amkor to Secure HBM Advantage over Samsung

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As Samsung eagerly accelerates its pace on the HBM3e certification with NVIDIA, SK hynix, the current HBM market leader, is reportedly planning another move to strengthen its relationship with the AI giant. According to a report by Korean media Money Today, SK hynix is teaming up with Amkor Technology to target the silicon interposer market, eyeing to become a supplier for NVIDIA.

Citing sources from the semiconductor industry, the report notes that SK hynix has discussed with Amkor, the world’s second-largest OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) company, about sending interposer samples. The process involves SK hynix sending its HBM and interposers to Amkor, which then combines them with GPUs from customers like NVIDIA to assemble AI accelerators.

A silicon interposer is a substrate on which GPUs and HBM are arranged and connected with the 2.5D/3D packaging. According to the report, drawing circuits on silicon to connect chips allows for more precise circuitry compared to using PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) in traditional 2D packaging, which makes silicon interposers essential for packaging AI accelerators like NVIDIA’s A100 and H100.

Regarding the rumor, citing a SK hynix representative, the report states that the discussion is still in the early stages, while the company is conducting various reviews to provide interposers that meet customer demands.

It is worth noting that the entry barrier for silicon interposers seems to be high, as only a few semiconductor giants, including TSMC, UMC and Samsung, can supply silicon interposers with their own packaging technologies, such as TSMC’s CoWoS (Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate) technology and Samsung’s I-Cube.

As Samsung is currently providing NVIDIA with its silicon interposers and I-Cube packaging services, SK hynix tries to further expand its leadership in HBM by entering the silicon interposer sector, the report notes, which may also alleviate the supply shortage for HBM and interposers as NVIDIA’s AI accelerators are in high demand.

Read more

• [News] SK hynix, TSMC, and NVIDIA Reportedly Forge Alliance to Develop Next-Generation HBM
• [News] Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron Ramp Up HBM Production, Reportedly Doubling Output Next Year

(Photo credit: SK hynix)