Just three years after entering the HBM market, China’s largest memory maker CXMT plans to mass produce 12-layer HBM3/HBM3E next year – the highest stack count in commercial use today. This marks a direct challenge to Korea’s dominance, with the technology gap narrowing fast.
Industry sources say CXMT is in talks with equipment and material suppliers to prepare for 12-layer HBM production. The company will first ramp up 8-layer HBM3 this year, then move to 12-layer.
Currently, 12-layer HBM3E is the mainstream high-end AI memory, led by SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron. Samsung already started HBM4 mass production in February – also with 12 layers initially. CXMT is targeting the same tier.
The core difficulty of HBM lies in stacking DRAM dies with micro-bumps and managing heat. CXMT’s progress suggests it has largely overcome these challenges.
Back in late 2024, CXMT was only making 4-layer HBM2, while SK Hynix was already on 12-layer HBM3E. Now, the gap is estimated at less than three years.
CXMT plans to shift 20% of its total DRAM output (~60K wafers per month) to HBM this year. It also aims to raise $4.2 billion via IPO to expand next-gen DRAM and HBM lines.
Meanwhile, Samsung and SK Hynix are racing to develop 16-layer HBM and hybrid bonding, with completion expected by year-end.
ICgoodFind :CXMT jumps from 4-layer to 12-layer HBM in three years. The HBM war just got a new major player.
