Of the several major changes coming with HBM4 memory, one of the most immediate is the sheer width of the memory interface. With the fourth-generation memory standard moving from an already wide 1024-bit interface to a ultra-wide 2048-bit interface, HBM4 memory stacks won't be business as usual; chip manufacturers are going to need to adopt more advanced packaging methods than are used today to accommodate the wider memory.
As part of its European Technology Symposium 2024 presentation, TSMC offered some fresh details into the base dies it will be manufacturing for HBM4, which will be built using logic processes. With TSMC planning to employ variations of their N12 and N5 processes for this task, the company is expecting to occupy a favorable place in the HBM4 manufacturing process, as memory fabs are not currently equipped to economically produce such advanced logic dies – if they can produce them at all.
