Changes in perspective in the world of DRAM: one of the star semiconductors sees HBM gaining momentum.
The most expert among you are obviously familiar with HBM, for High Bandwidth Memory, which displays, as its name suggests, a high level of bandwidth.
Such memories are only rarely used on our so-called consumer graphics cards, due to the additional cost they generate, without their impact being really decisive on the capabilities of our PCs.
AI boosts demand for HBM chips
On the other hand, there is a sector that uses and abuses HBM memory. A sector in full swing and which needs to deploy ever more power from excessively fast memory.
This sector is obviously that of artificial intelligence accelerators, and whether it is AMD’s MIxxx models or NVIDIA’s Hxx, Bxx, GHxx or GBxx products, the additional cost generated by the HBM goes much further. easily. Such accelerators are already sold for small fortunes, so a few dozen/hundred euros more goes “unnoticed”!
According to the Trendforce institute cited by our colleagues at TechPowerUpthis is what is at stake first of all for 2024, and even more so for next year: the rise in power of the HBM is confirmed with its corollary on the price side.
Up to 30% of the DRAM market
Currently, competition in the HBM market is relatively unbalanced. It is estimated that SK Hynix controls more or less 90% of the market, but its compatriot Samsung does not intend to stay behind.
The production of the two South Korean companies is therefore set to increase very significantly both in the second half of 2024 and throughout next year. However, production should remain largely insufficient in relation to the explosion in demand. In 2024, this would have increased by 200% and could double again in 2025.
Obviously, in such conditions, prices can only be pushed upwards, because even if HBM’s production increases, more traditional DRAM must still be produced, and in 2025, HBM would only represent 10% of volumes released from memory factories. On the other hand, this would already represent more than 30% of manufacturers’ total DRAM turnover.
If demand exceeds supply (this is the case at HBM), prices rise. Trendforce indicates that these increases have already started and expects to see an increase of 5 to 10% over 2025. Only buyers of AI accelerators are able to absorb such increases: we are not close to seeing AMD /NVIDIA use HBM on their cards for the general public.
Source : TechPowerUp
Having fallen into video games at a time when it took a great imagination to see here a football match, there a tank fight in these few bars represented on the screen, I have followed all the developments for forty years. Loyal to the PC, but a fan of all genres, I only have trouble with JRPGs. Otherwise, from the driest turn-based strategy to the most spectacular FPS, including sports simulations or musical games, I can do it all... with a preference for management and games combining several styles. My video game pantheon would consist of three series: Elite, Civilization and Max Payne.
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