SK hynix has 'phenomenal' yield rate increase of its 1c DRAM modules for consumer, HBM memory

SK hynix has significantly increased the yields of its next-generation 1c DRAM, which was hovering at around 60% in 2024 but has reportedly reached over 80% recently.

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In a new post by Korean media outlet Hanhooki, we're learning that SK hynix's new 1c DRAM yields have reached 80% with all of the South Korean memory giants' firepower being focused on HBM. SK hynix announced in August 2024 that it had successfully developed the world's first 1c process-based 16GB DDR5 DRAM, with DRAMs developed in the order of 1x, 1y, 1z, 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d depending on the circuit line width, with 1c being the most advanced tech. 1c = around 11-12nm.

As always, capacity is the issue and with SK hynix prioritizing its equipment and manpower to respond to the unstoppable demand of HBM for AI GPUs, it has been a hard road for the company to improve 1c DRAM volume. SK hynix will be the first memory manufacturer to mass produce HBM4 memory, far ahead its HBM competitors in Samsung and Micron.

We should expect to hear more from SK hynix and its industry-leading 1c DRAM in the coming months, especially as we ramp into the release of HBM4 onto the market in 2026.