Huawei to use HBM in smartphones with 3D stacking tech: will boost efficiency, AI performance

Huawei is rumored to beat Apple in using HBM DRAM inside of its smartphones using 3D stacking technology, improving efficiency and AI performance.

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Anthony Garreffa

Gaming Editor

Published Jul 2, 2025 1:01 AM CDT

1 minute & 45 seconds read time

TL;DR: Huawei is set to lead Apple by integrating high-performance HBM DRAM with 3D stacking technology in smartphones, boosting AI efficiency and bandwidth while reducing chip size. Apple plans to adopt HBM DRAM in 2027, but Huawei's early adoption gives it a competitive edge in AI and memory innovation.

Chinese tech giant Huawei is expected to beat Apple to incorporating HBM DRAM inside of its smartphones, with 3D stacking technology to improve efficiency and increase AI performance.

Huawei to use HBM in smartphones with 3D stacking tech: will boost efficiency, AI performance 09

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In a new post by tipster Digital Chat Station on Chinese social media site Weibo, it looks like Huawei will have a competitive edge over Apple, massively boosting AI performance thanks to HBM DRAM, all the while Apple continues to suffer with AI in general. Huawei might be lagging in using bleeding-edge semiconductor process nodes, with Apple tapped to use TSMC's new 2nm process node (N2) for its new iPhones, Huawei is held back using SMIC in China.

Right now, the latest memory inside smartphones and tablets today is LPDDR5X memory, with rumors that new LPDDR6 production to begin in the second half of 2026 with the likes of Samsung and Qualcomm to use LPDDR6 memory inside of their new smartphone chips in the future.

Huawei is expected to use HBM DRAM technology based on 3D stacking technology, which will increase bandwidth and improve efficiency, while reducing the memory chip's size. This is the perfect blend for future smartphones, and Huawei will be one step ahead of US-based giant Apple.

Read more: Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone in 2027: all-screen design, no bezels, under-display camera

Apple is expected to move to HBM DRAM technology for its next-gen iPhone 17 smartphones in 2027, which is when the company will unveil its new 20th anniversary edition iPhone. Apple has been suffering in AI since it blew up almost overnight with ChatGPT, so it'll be interesting to see how things change with HBM DRAM inside of the iPhone in the future.

Digital Chat Station explains: "In addition to being ahead of Apple in folding ratio, AI functions and customized memory solutions will also be ahead of Apple. A certain factory will launch HBM DRAM before Apple (good luck). Tips: HBM DRAM is a high-performance DRAM based on 3D stacking technology. It can improve data throughput while reducing power consumption and reducing the size of memory chips. It is the only way for highly integrated AI mobile phones".