Samsung Delays Development of 1c DRAM Node, Impacting HBM4 Production Timeline

According to a recent report from South Korean media outlet MoneyToday, Samsung has postponed the completion of its sixth-generation 10nm-class (1c) DRAM process development by six months, now targeting June 2025 for finalization. Originally planned for completion and production by the end of 2024, the delay is attributed to yield challenges, which have impacted the company’s timeline for high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) production.

Development Delays and Yield Challenges

Industry insiders revealed that Samsung faced significant difficulties in achieving acceptable yields with the 1c DRAM process. While initial test chips were delivered to the market in late 2024, they failed to meet the expected yield levels. As a result, Samsung has extended the development timeline by six months, aiming to improve yields to approximately 70% during this period.

Typically, each new DRAM process generation takes around 18 months to develop. However, Samsung’s progress on the sixth-generation 1c DRAM has lagged since the company announced the production of its fifth-generation 10nm-class (1b) DRAM process in May 2023. The gap has raised concerns about Samsung’s ability to maintain its competitive edge in the memory market.

Impact on HBM4 Production

The delay in the 1c DRAM process has significant implications for Samsung’s HBM4 production timeline, which heavily depends on the development of the core DRAM process. Originally, Samsung planned to integrate the 1c DRAM process into its HBM4 production and commence mass production by the second half of 2025. However, the delay pushes HBM4 production into late 2025 or beyond, affecting Samsung's position in the rapidly evolving HBM market.

As HBM products typically trail behind core DRAM processes in development, the postponement of the 1c DRAM process directly influences the HBM production schedule. This shift may impact Samsung’s ability to compete effectively with rivals like SK Hynix and Micron, who are also advancing their HBM offerings to cater to the growing AI-driven demand for high-performance memory.

Samsung’s Response and Focus

Samsung plans to dedicate its efforts in the first half of 2025 to resolving yield issues and accelerating the development of the sixth-generation 1c DRAM process. The company aims to stabilize the process and achieve production readiness as soon as possible to mitigate the broader impacts on its memory product lineup.

This development underscores the technical complexities of DRAM scaling and the challenges of maintaining competitive timelines in the highly dynamic memory industry.