Hybrid Memory Cube

Hybrid Memory Cube

The Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC) is a high-performance computer random-access memory (RAM) interface for through-silicon via (TSV)-based stacked DRAM memory. It was co-developed by Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology in 2011. HMC uses standard DRAM cells but it has more data banks than classic DRAM memory of the same size. The memory controller is integrated as a separate die. It promised a 15 times speed improvement over DDR3. Though, Micron discontinued the HMC product in 2018 when it failed to achieve market adoption, however shifting market dynamics towards Artificial Intelligence is boosting the demand for Hybrid memory cubes in the market and encouraging manufacturers to mass produce the HMCs, with the demand exceeding the supply.

The Hybrid Memory Cube Market is expected to grow at a strong CAGR of around 26.50% owing to the growing widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence applications. Furthermore, the growth can be attributed to the rising proliferation of artificial intelligence. The technology itself is experiencing an unprecedented rate of development and adoption. This shift towards AI increased demand for high-performance GPUs, creating a favorable demand environment for HMCs. For instance, in February 2024, Nvidia, the world’s largest producer of GPUs, presented a forecast of a three-fold increase in its quarterly revenue with boosted demand for data center chips and GPUs amid the AI boom the world is witnessing. Furthermore, organizations shifting their operations to the cloud. This inclination towards cloud has increased demand for data centers, consequently driving up the need for HMCs, a more efficient and less power-consuming storage technology. Additionally, the popularity of high-performance computers is also rising due to the increased need for high-power computations to train AI models, further leading to a surge in demand for HMCs in the markets.

• Based on product type, the hybrid memory cube market is categorized into GPU, CPU, APU, FPGA, and ASIC. The GPU segment is generating maximum demand for HMCs in the markets. The increasing prevalence of generative AI primarily drives this expansion. Furthermore, the rapid advancement in the development of cloud infrastructure, by large corporations such as Amazon, and Meta, amid the enormous demand for computing power to support AI projects, is creating a favorable environment of growth in demand for GPUs, subsequently benefitting the increasing need for HMCs. For instance, in Jan 2024, Meta CEO announced an investment of a billion dollars in purchasing 350,000 units of Nvidia's H100 graphic chips, for developing its computing infrastructure by the end of 2024.
• Based on application the market is segmented into graphics, AI and high-performance computing, networking, and data centers. AI and HPC generate most of the demand for HMC. This surge in demand is primarily driven by the exponential growth witnessed by generative AI in the recent past. A considerable amount of computing power for massive data processing goes into training these models. This shift has led to a surge in demand for GPUs integrated with HMCs, that can match the potential necessary for computing power to support these large language models (LLMs). Furthermore, the growing adoption of high-performance computing in various industrial setups for intensive data processing further elevates the need for high-performance memory.
• Based on end-users, the hybrid memory cube market is segmented into enterprise storage, telecommunication and networking, artificial intelligence developers, and others. The AI developers are dominating the demand for HCMs. The demand is primarily driven by the rapid growth of data-intensive applications, particularly in artificial intelligence and supercomputing. Furthermore, the increasing use of large AI models, such as ChatGPT, has led to a surge in demand for HBM1. These models require high-speed data processing and transfer, which can only be achieved with high-bandwidth memories. Additionally, HBM is popular among bandwidth-hungry applications. At around 1.2 TB/s per stack, no conventional memory can beat HBM3E in terms of bandwidth2. This high bandwidth is crucial for the efficient functioning of AI applications.

1. For a better understanding of the market adoption of Hybrid Memory Cubes, the market is analyzed based on its worldwide presence in countries such as North America (The U.S., Canada, and the Rest of North America), Europe (Germany, The U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Rest of Asia-Pacific), Rest of World. North America holds a prominent share of the market. The North American hybrid memory cube market is poised for rapid growth in the coming years. This rise in demand is primarily driven by the rapid growth of data-intensive applications, particularly in artificial intelligence and supercomputing, which require high-speed data processing, which necessitates high-bandwidth memories. Furthermore, The increased funding for AI startups has accelerated the pace of development and application of AI technologies in the region. Moreover, the favorable government policies of the region regarding AI development have also encouraged the industries to adopt AI technology and have significantly contributed towards the growth. This rapid rise of generative AI has boosted the demand for high-speed HBM technologies in the data center market. AI workloads are driving the need for higher bandwidth to increase data transfer rates between devices and processing units. Hyperscalers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are increasing their server capacity to support model training and inference, requiring more AI accelerators. This is in turn driving strong growth in HBMs associated with these accelerators.

• Some of the major players operating in the market include Micron Technology, Inc.; Samsung; SK HYNIX INC.; Intel Corporation; NVIDIA Corporation; Global Unichip Corp; Cambricon; Huawei Technologies Co.,; IBM; and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.