SK Hynix may push part of its planned HBM4 back-end equipment orders into next year as its sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory production ramp appears slower than expected, according to DealSite. According to ChainCatcher, some equipment originally scheduled for delivery in the second half of this year has been delayed, while next year’s HBM4 investment plans have not yet been clearly communicated to some partners.

Industry sources said some equipment that was supposed to be installed this year may now be moved to next year, and there is still no confirmation on whether delivered equipment is operating at full capacity. The report also said there has been no clear signal of increased or reduced investment, and no direct link has been confirmed between the equipment schedule and product quality issues.

Daishin Securities researcher Ryu Hyung-geun said concerns that HBM4 quality problems at major customers could weigh on results are overstated. He added that there may have been some issues in the back-end process, but they do not appear to be an unsolvable risk, and it is not yet time to discuss defect compensation.

Other industry views suggested some HBM investment could shift toward general-purpose memory as prices rise. SK Hynix plans to prioritize DRAM production equipment for the first cleanroom at its Yongin cluster Y1 fab, with initial lines expected to use sixth-generation 10-nanometer-class 1c process technology. Additional capacity is expected to be allocated first to general-purpose DRAM. The company has also supplied 16-layer HBM4 samples to major customers.