Global First: GUC Successfully Tapes Out World's First HBM4 IP Using TSMC N3P Process

On April 2, advanced ASIC design services provider Global Unichip Corp (GUC) announced a major industry milestone: the successful tape-out of its HBM4 controller and PHY IP, built on TSMC’s most advanced N3P process and integrated using CoWoS®-R advanced packaging.

This achievement marks the world’s first complete HBM4 IP solution to reach tape-out, laying the groundwork for next-gen AI and data center acceleration technologies.

Key Highlights of GUC’s HBM4 IP

Process Node: TSMC N3P – TSMC's third-generation 3nm node, offering improved performance and power efficiency over N3E.

Packaging: CoWoS®-R (Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate with RDL), widely used in high-end GPUs like NVIDIA H100/B100 and AMD Instinct MI300 series.

Performance:

Up to 12Gbps per pin data rate.

2.5× bandwidth increase over HBM3.

1.5× power efficiency improvement.

2× area efficiency.

Design Innovations:

Optimized interposer layout enhances signal integrity (SI) and power integrity (PI) across CoWoS packaging variants.

90% bus utilization for random read/write access.

Integrated real-time I/O and clock health monitoring circuits (powered by proteanTecs IP).

AI & HBM4: Solving the Memory Bottleneck

As AI models grow larger and more compute-intensive, memory bandwidth has become a critical bottleneck. HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) is the go-to solution for breaking the "memory wall" in AI training and inference.

According to TrendForce, HBM demand bit growth is expected to nearly double in 2024, with another 2× increase in 2025. HBM4, with its enhanced throughput and energy efficiency, is poised to become the next-generation memory standard for AI accelerators, GPUs, and high-performance computing (HPC).

GUC’s Strategic Role in the Ecosystem

GUC is among the few companies globally offering a complete HBM4 controller + PHY IP solution, complementing efforts by memory vendors like SK hynix and Samsung, who are targeting mass production of HBM4 in 2026.

GUC’s integration of HBM4, UCIe-A, and UCIe-3D IP reflects a broader strategy to deliver comprehensive 2.5D/3D semiconductor solutions for chiplet-based architectures.

GUC General Manager David Chou stated:

“We are proud to be the world’s first to tape out a 12Gbps HBM4 controller and PHY IP solution. With this, we’re enabling the semiconductor industry to meet the evolving demands of next-generation computing.”

Industry Outlook

With leading EDA vendors like Synopsys and Cadence already offering verification tools for HBM4, GUC’s early IP availability gives chip developers a crucial head start in AI system design.

The collaboration between foundries (TSMC), memory manufacturers, and IP providers (like GUC) is proving essential to drive HBM4 adoption and keep up with the exponential data requirements of AI workloads.