Samsung is all set for its next-gen HBM5 development as it is planning to integrate a new thermal feature called "HPB" to its upcoming DRAM standard.
Samsung Previews The Design & Features of Its Next-Gen HBM5 Memory As It Races Against SK Hynix & Micron
We know that Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron are all working on future HBM standards. These three DRAM makers are currently supplying the bulk of the DRAM to chipmakers who are powering the latest AI datacenters across the world.
Most recently, SK Hynix introduced a new feature for its HBM products called iHBM, which embeds integrated cooling elements or ICEs for better thermal resistance as HBM stacks get denser & faster. Samsung has now teased its answer to this, and they are calling it HPB or Heat Block Path. A structure that shows us what the HBM5 architecture with HPB would look like has been displayed at Computex, showcasing a similar design to SK Hynix's iHBM.
Now we aren't saying that both technologies will work the same, and each DRAM vendor is just calling it a different name. Both Samsung and SK Hynix could be using proprietary technologies. What we know is SK Hynix leverages its MR-RUF technology for the production of iHBM DRAM. Samsung would also very likely be using its own in-house technologies.
The HBP will sit beside the Core Die (DRAM stack) on the same Base Die and will be connected using a D2D PHY. It will have the same height as the Core Die stack, and additional heat produced by these stacks will enter the HBP and dissipate through the cold plate more effectively. Both SK Hynix and Samsung are currently working to integrate their respective thermal technologies for the HBM5 memory, which means that we are once again going to see a major surge in performance, efficiency, and overall power/thermal characteristics.
First GPUs to feature HBM5 memory won't be landing until 2028-2029, so there's still a lot of time for HBM manufacturers to optimize the design, while testing out these technologies with various partners.
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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