[News] Micron Counters HBM4 Speed Doubts with 11+ Gbps, Custom HBM4E Due 2027 with Higher Margins

After another strong quarter likely to set record sales and EPS in 1Q FY26, Micron highlighted its HBM4 progress during the earnings call. The company said it has shipped customer samples boasting over 2.8TBps bandwidth and pin speeds above 11Gbps, outperforming competitors, according to ZDNet, Chosun Daily, and Micron’s presentation materials.

As ZDNet and Chosun Daily point out, the market has questioned Micron’s HBM4 performance, with rumors suggesting the chips were designed for only 8Gbps, lagging behind Samsung and SK hynix, which aim for over 10Gbps through foundry partners.

As Chosun Biz notes, Samsung and SK hynix are turning to advanced foundries in HBM4 era—Samsung employing 1c DRAM with 4nm logic for its base die, and SK hynix relying on TSMC—while Micron has chosen to manufacture both its DRAM and base dies in-house.

In SK hynix‘s press release in mid-September, the company said it has successfully completed HBM4 development and is gearing up for mass production, having exceeded the JEDEC standard operating speed (8Gbps) by implementing over 10Gbps operating speed in HBM4.

However, Micron dismissed these concerns, releasing data that highlights its proven 1β DRAM, in-house advanced CMOS base die, and cutting-edge packaging technology as the key differentiators driving HBM4’s industry-leading performance.

Teams up with TSMC on Custom HBM4E

According to Investing.com. Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra further explained that HBM4 uses its own in-house base die and will be the main product ramping in production throughout 2026. In contrast, HBM4E—slated for 2027—will include both standard and customized versions and is being developed in partnership with TSMC, he added. The company emphasized that HBM4E’s customized offerings are expected to deliver higher gross margins, the report notes.

Micron’s HBM customer base has now grown to six, with pricing agreements already secured for the vast majority of its 2026 HBM3E output, as per Investing.com. The company added it is actively negotiating specs and volumes for HBM4 and expects to sell out the rest of its 2026 HBM supply in the coming months.

Read more

• [News] Micron’s 2026 HBM Not Sold Out Yet—But Will Reportedly Be Within Months as Pricing Deals Lock
• [News] SK hynix Reportedly Negotiates Price Adjustments with Customers Following Micron, Samsung

(Photo credit: Micron)