ChainCatcher news: According to a report by Chosun Ilbo on September 7, SK Hynix is accelerating the increase of its 10-nanometer-class sixth-generation (1c) DRAM production share. Industry data show that its 1c DRAM share rose from about 10% in the first quarter of this year to about 13% in the second quarter, is expected to reach about 24% in the third quarter, and about 34% in the fourth quarter; in the first quarter of next year, it may rise to about 35%, surpassing 1b (about 33%) for the first time and becoming the main process. The share of 1b (10-nanometer-class fifth-generation) DRAM peaked at about 43% in the second quarter of this year and then began to decline.

At the end of the second quarter, Samsung Electronics' 1c share was about 16% and Micron's about 19%, both higher than SK Hynix's roughly 13%. Reports said SK Hynix is speeding up the transition in the second half of the year, and in the fourth quarter it may surpass Samsung Electronics with about 34% versus Samsung's about 31%. At its second-quarter earnings call, SK Hynix said supply of DRAM using the 1c process had begun in earnest from the second quarter, and in the second half of the year, as HBM4 shipments increase and 1c general-purpose DRAM shipments rise, bit growth will be higher than in the first half.

Samsung Electronics will adopt 1c DRAM starting with HBM4, with an operating speed of about 11.7Gbps; SK Hynix previously prioritized production stability by using proven 1b DRAM and advanced MR-MUF packaging, and will впервые use 1c DRAM as the core chip of HBM starting with the next-generation HBM4E. Counterpoint Research and others expect that, under the combined demand of Nvidia, Google, and AMD this year, the HBM4 market share will be approximately in the mid-50% range for SK Hynix, the late-20% range for Samsung Electronics, and the late-10% range for Micron.