SK Hynix Won’t Put All Its Chips on TSMC, Eyes Intel for HBM4E Base Dies

SK Hynix is considering turning to Intel for the base dies used in its seventh-generation high-bandwidth memory, HBM4E, rather than relying entirely on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. for that component.

South Korea’s Herald Business reported on the 31st that SK Hynix is seeking possible cooperation with both Intel and TSMC in producing HBM4E base dies. Industry analysts said the plan would create a more diversified supply structure and reduce the company’s concentration on TSMC, while strengthening its bargaining position in negotiations.

The base die sits at the bottom of an HBM stack. Also known as a logic die, it supports and controls the structure and handles the high-speed interface linking the memory above with external processors such as graphics processing units and central processing units.

SK Hynix produced its own base dies through the HBM3E generation. As the logic and performance requirements increased, the company began working with TSMC from HBM4 onward. Mass-produced HBM4 currently uses base dies made with TSMC’s 12-nanometer-class process. Industry sources said cost has become a key concern: for HBM4, TSMC’s base die costs three to four times as much as the core die. SK Hynix produces the DRAM core dies itself using its fifth-generation 10-nanometer-class process.

The arrival of HBM4E is expected to add further cost pressure. Because HBM sales rely heavily on long-term supply contracts, passing higher foundry costs directly to customers may be difficult. If Intel joins the base-die supply chain, SK Hynix would have more options for managing cost and supply stability. The possible partnership may also extend to advanced packaging. SK Hynix has said it is comparing major packaging approaches, including TSMC’s CoWoS-S and CoWoS-L and Intel’s EMIB.