Samsung Transfers Foundry Staff to Memory Division to Boost DRAM Yield

Samsung has been struggling in its HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) business as it is not getting orders from key clients. The company has adopted several new strategies lately to bounce back in this space. One such strategy is transferring staff from its foundry division to the memory division. This will help strengthen its DRAM competitiveness, which is the core foundation of HBM.

Samsung aims to catch up in the HBM market by focusing on DRAM yield

While the HBM market is growing rapidly, Samsung still lags far behind the industry leader, SK Hynix. However, the Korean firm aims to make a comeback in this space with its next-generation HBM4 solution. The company is currently focusing on improving 1c DRAM’s yield, which will play a key role in the HBM4 chip.

According to the Korean outlet EToday, the company has recently moved some of its foundry division staff to the memory division. It carried out the transfer process through its internal recruitment system called Job Posting. The total number of staff is estimated to be in the three digits, focusing mainly on those in production and operation.

Samsung failed to attract clients for its HBM3E products because of its late entry into the market. It is still struggling to pass Nvidia’s quality test, which is necessary before supply. However, the company does not want to make a similar mistake with next-generation HBM products. So, it is taking all necessary steps strategically required to lead early in the HBM4 era. It also plans to start mass production of HBM4 chips in the second half of the year.

However, to successfully start mass production, it must first stabilize the yield of 1c DRAM. So, Samsung is desperately trying to improve the yield and quality of its DRAM chips. An earlier report revealed that the company has secured nearly 40% yield in 1c DRAM. It will be interesting to see how the foundry staff transfer will help accelerate this process.