Korean outlet Dealsite reports SK Hynix may push some HBM4 packaging equipment orders into next year
LOCAL KOREAN MEDIA: SK HYNIX DELAYS HBM4 PACKAGING EQUIPMENT ORDERS UNTIL NEXT YEAR
Context
HBM4 is the high bandwidth memory going into next generation AI accelerators, so any shift in SK Hynix's equipment timing is watched closely by chip suppliers and AI hardware buyers.
This is a secondhand item: Jukan, a semiconductor news account, is relaying a report from the Korean outlet Dealsite. According to Dealsite's article summary, a possibility has been raised that some HBM4 back end equipment volumes at SK Hynix could slip from the second half of this year to next year, which is softer than the post's headline. SK Hynix's own comment on the report was not found.
Deep dive
On October 14, Jukan posted in capitals that local Korean media report SK Hynix delays HBM4 packaging equipment orders until next year, linking a Dealsite article.
The Dealsite article's own summary, in Korean, is more hedged. It says a possibility has been raised that part of SK Hynix's HBM4 related back end equipment volumes, originally planned for the second half of this year, could be pushed into next year. Back end, or post processing, refers to the packaging and stacking steps that turn memory dies into finished HBM stacks.
Dealsite cites two reasons being discussed. One is a shift in investment toward conventional DRAM as general DRAM prices rise. The other is that early production capacity at the Yongin semiconductor cluster would be allocated to conventional DRAM first.
The article also includes pushback. It quotes Daishin Securities analyst Ryu Hyung geun as saying concerns about quality issues are excessive, and it says the industry view is that, given SK Hynix's packaging technology, a change in the investment schedule is unlikely to lead to mass production disruptions.
The full Dealsite article could not be loaded for this story, so details beyond its published summary are not included. The report covers only part of the equipment volume, not all HBM4 packaging orders, and it does not say SK Hynix has confirmed any change.
What to expect next
Watch for comment from SK Hynix, which may address HBM4 investment timing on its next earnings call, and for reports from Korean equipment suppliers about order timing.
Also watch whether more coverage confirms that rising conventional DRAM prices are pulling capacity away from HBM, which would matter for the supply of memory to AI chip makers such as Nvidia next year.