Seoul: SK hynix Inc.'s early commitment to advanced chip stacking technology has been a key driver of the South Korean chipmaker's recent success in the high bandwidth memory (HBM) market propelled by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, a senior official at the company said Monday. According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim Chun-hwan, vice president of SK hynix, highlighted the company's dedicated focus on research and development efforts aimed at stabilizing through-silicon-via (TSV) technology and building the necessary infrastructure. "And finally we succeeded in mass producing HBM," he noted during an interview with the company's newsroom. TSV is a packaging technique used to precisely connect stacked chips, which is one of the core technologies for SK hynix's HBM. This technology uses stacked DRAM chips to provide high-speed data transfer and low power consumption, setting the company apart in the market. In 2009, SK hynix foresaw a surge in demand for high-performance memory and concentrated efforts on TSV technology. By 2013, the company had introduced its first HBM to the market, paving its path to leadership in this sector. Kim, who has been with SK hynix since 1992, has invested approximately 15 years in the development of TSV. He explained that "TSV is a technology that enables high capacity, high bandwidth by drilling microscopic holes in the chip, connecting the top and bottom chips with electrodes and stacking them." He acknowledged the initial challenges of development due to the precision and fine control required. Currently, SK hynix is at the forefront of the AI memory market, offering fifth-generation HBM3E products. These eight-layer HBM3E products have been supplied to Nvidia Corp. since March, whose AI accelerator plays a crucial role in AI computing. Looking ahead, the chipmaker plans to ship its latest 12-layer HBM3E chips before the end of this year. Additionally, a 16-layer version is scheduled for launch in the first quarter of next year, with the sixth-generation HBM4 expected in th e second half of 2025.