Samsung Doubles HBM4 Capacity Next Year, Glass Substrate Demand Surges 2.5x

Overview

Samsung Electronics plans to significantly expand production of HBM4 and seventh-generation HBM4E high-bandwidth memory chips next year, with output expected to more than double. At the same time, demand for glass substrates, a key component in HBM manufacturing, is projected to surge 2.5 times from this year's levels, reflecting the rapid growth in demand for precision process materials for advanced memory chips.

According to semiconductor industry sources on the 20th, Samsung will increase its monthly outsourced glass substrate cleaning volume from 20,000 wafers this year to 50,000 wafers next year. This figure was only 10,000 wafers last year, doubled to 20,000 wafers this year, and will see another significant increase next year, highlighting the profound impact of HBM capacity expansion on upstream material supply chains.

Glass Substrates: Core Support for HBM Stacking Technology

Glass substrates are glass supports temporarily attached to the bottom of HBM DRAM wafers to prevent bending or cracking during wafer thinning and drilling processes. As the number of HBM stacking layers increases, the importance of wafer thinning technology and warpage control is becoming increasingly prominent.

Samsung's currently prepared HBM4 and HBM4E products mainly feature 12-layer and above stacking. Although glass substrates are reusable and consumption varies depending on the process loading method and yield, industry insiders note that the 2.5-fold increase in related demand likely indicates that HBM4 and HBM4E output will grow by at least two times from this year.

"As Samsung expands HBM production, it appears to be placing high-value HBM4 products at the core," an industry official said.

Capacity Expansion and Product Structure Upgrade

In February this year, Samsung began mass-producing and shipping HBM4 using 10nm-class sixth-generation (1c) DRAM and base dies based on 4nm process technology. In May, Samsung provided 12-layer HBM4E samples to customers including NVIDIA.

The industry expects Samsung's HBM production scale next year to rise from approximately 180,000 wafers this year to about 250,000 wafers, an increase of nearly 40%. Calculated by product shipment volume, the HBM4 family's share is expected to jump from approximately 40% this year to about 80% next year, primarily driven by the accelerated mass production of HBM4E.

This adjustment indicates that Samsung is optimizing its memory business structure by increasing the proportion of high-value-added HBM4 series products to meet the growing demand for high-performance memory chips in the artificial intelligence sector.