SK Hynix, the world’s dominant HBM supplier for AI data centers, is reportedly in discussions with Intel Foundry to produce base dies for its next-generation HBM4E memory stacks. The move would diversify its supply chain away from TSMC, which currently manufactures these base dies that reportedly cost three to four times more than SK Hynix’s core DRAM dies. Intel’s EMIB technology is being evaluated as an alternative to TSMC’s CoWoS advanced packaging, with early assessments suggesting potential packaging cost reductions of approximately 50%. SK Hynix is simultaneously investing over $4 billion in an advanced packaging facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, targeting volume production by the second half of 2029. This potential Intel partnership comes as Samsung, SK Hynix’s primary competitor, develops its own 4 nm foundry processes specifically for HBM4 base dies.
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