CXMT, a major DRAM manufacturer, is stepping up its efforts to create the first domestic HBM.
There is no local chipmaker in China that can produce HBM to accelerate AI computing.
CXMT has ordered and received a number of manufacturing and test equipment suitable for the production and assembly of HBMs from ** merchants in the United States and Japan.
CXMT is eager to acquire HBM production equipment that has not yet been subject to export controls, even if its HBM technology has not yet reached mass production.
Since last year, CXMT has prioritized the development of vertically stacked DRAM chips in order to replicate the HBM chip architecture.
A number of major equipment manufacturers, including Applied Materials and Colin R&D, have obtained licenses to supply chip production tools to Chinese memory manufacturers starting in mid-2023.
CXMT announced late last year that it had started production of the first LPDDR5 chips. This puts CXMT in technology behind Micron and SK hynix, ahead of South Asia Technology, which is more focused on the professional market than the mass consumer electronics business.
CXMT will have less than 1% of the global DRAM market share in 2023, while the three giants of Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron control 97% of the market.
Analysts point out that China's self-sufficiency in HBM chips faces a number of challenges.
When DRAM technology lags behind global competitors, your HBM technology will be at a disadvantage in the commercial market.
There are also HBM production that requires complex design and manufacturing techniques. This can be a steep climb.
It will not be easy for China to break the status quo of international dominance in this area, and its primary goal will remain to meet the needs of the domestic market.