TSMC reiterated its focus on its core foundry business on Nov. 8, according to Seoul Economic Daily. The statement followed a Nov. 6 report that the company was drawing up plans for 3D DRAM at Nvidia’s request. That account describes an exploration, not a manufacturing commitment.
What the reported plan involves
The account attributed to The Information cited two people familiar with the discussions. It said TSMC was considering making 3D DRAM for Nvidia, and that Hsu Kuo-chin, TSMC’s vice president for advanced packaging, was reported to oversee the exploratory effort.
Possible factory routes included building new plants or acquiring and converting existing facilities. Seoul Economic Daily reported that the account had left both the route and production timing undecided.
3D DRAM stacks cells; HBM stacks memory dies
The described 3D DRAM concept arranges memory cells vertically. HBM, or high-bandwidth memory, stacks complete memory dies. The two approaches build in three dimensions at different levels: cells in the DRAM concept, whole chips in HBM. For more on foundry processes and HBM base dies, see NeoTeo’s earlier coverage of Micron’s HBM4E and NVHBM plans.
Lam Research’s general technical explanation describes one 3D DRAM approach in which memory cells rotate 90 degrees and stack upward. It also discusses manufacturing techniques such as high-aspect-ratio etching, EUV patterning and atomic-layer deposition. These concepts explain the kind of engineering involved; the reported account does not assign them to a TSMC design.
A reported plan for new memory is a long way from a new source of supply; the manufacturing route and development work matter too.
Why any added supply would take time
Seoul Economic Daily’s English report, which it identifies as AI-translated from Korean, says logic chips and DRAM use different manufacturing processes. It also reports that moving into DRAM would require technology development and separate production facilities. Those hurdles help explain why drawing up a plan would not quickly translate into more memory on the market.
Tom’s Hardware assessed that 3D DRAM could not ease memory shortages for at least five years, an assessment relayed by MLQ.ai. That is a view about potential market relief, not a TSMC production schedule.
