Amid intensifying technological competition and diversifying customer demands in today’s AI market, HBM1 remains a gamechanger.
1High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value, high-performance product that possesses much higher data processing speeds compared to existing DRAMs by vertically connecting multiple DRAMs with through-silicon via (TSV).
Backed by industry-leading technology, SK hynix’s HBM played a pivotal role in the company achieving its best-ever performance in 2024. In 2025, continued innovation and enhanced productivity will be crucial to drive even greater growth. The role of the HBM Heterogeneous Integration Technology team, responsible for optimizing yield, quality, and cost, as well as advancing packaging technology, is therefore more critical than ever.
To find out more about the team’s efforts, the SK hynix Newsroom sat down with its leader, Vice President Kwonwhan Han. In the first episode of an interview series featuring newly appointed executives in 2025, Han discussed HBM technology innovation strategies for leading the AI memory market along with his vision and goals.
Two Birds, One Stone: Achieving Technological & Operational Innovation
Han, who joined SK hynix in 2002, was involved from the initial development of HBM and has since led the development and mass production of every HBM generation, playing a key role in establishing the company’s HBM leadership.
“When HBM was first launched, production scale and demand were nowhere near today’s levels” he stated. “However, the emergence of ChatGPT in 2023 sparked explosive growth in the AI market and a rapid surge in customer demand. In response, we were tasked with building a much larger production line than the existing one in a short period of time. To meet demand, we also converted parts of other production lines into HBM production lines, establishing a large-scale mass production system. At the time, it seemed nearly impossible to reach our goals, but with the dedicated efforts of the HBM Heterogeneous Integration Technology team and related departments, we were able to succeed.”
Han’s strategic response became the foundation for SK hynix’s increased HBM market share and world-class production capacity and quality. Building on this experience and expertise, he is now set to lead the HBM Heterogeneous Integration Technology team. In this position, he will play a crucial role in enhancing mass-production capabilities and establishing a new technical base for a smooth transition to next-generation HBM.
“To stay competitive in the HBM market, it is essential to not only have technological expertise but also deliver the best products to customers in a timely manner,” Han claimed. “I will do my utmost to establish a collaborative system that can promptly respond to market and customer demands through technological and operational innovation, ensuring stable mass production.”
Han plans to develop a collaborative system which can respond to market demands, ultimately leading to stable HBM mass production
Building the Optimal Mass-Production Environment to Meet Market & Customer Demands
“The most important task in 2025 is to respond steadily to growing market demands, while also solidifying our technological readiness for mass production of next-generation HBM,” Han emphasized.
“The 12-layer HBM3E, which will be the main focus of production in 2025, has a higher level of process complexity compared to the existing 8-layer HBM3E,” he revealed. “Additionally, as next-generation HBM products evolve, we expect the technical challenges will become more demanding. While mass production will begin after overcoming many of these challenges during development, unexpected variables may still emerge as we rapidly scale production, and it will be difficult to resolve them. Therefore, the HBM Heterogeneous Integration Technology team plans to focus on proactively anticipating these variables and developing a thorough response strategy.”
Recently, as demand for AI memory increases, there has also been a gradual rise in demand for customized products, especially among big tech companies. However, HBM involves more process steps and a more complex production process than other products, making it challenging to meet these demands. “Rather than simply increasing production volume, establishing an efficient operational system has become even more important,” Han stated. “We will enhance the flexibility of our production lines and strengthen collaboration with customers to maximize our HBM competitiveness.
“We are improving various operational systems through collaboration to enhance HBM production flexibility. From the development stage, development and mass production departments will work as one, closely cooperating with customers to increase production efficiency. To achieve this, we aim to establish an optimal mass-production environment by proactively addressing technical challenges with relevant departments. Based on these efforts, we will contribute to SK hynix’s advancement as a full stack AI memory provider.”
Han aims to enhance production line flexibility and strengthen customer collaboration to maximize HBM competitiveness
Fulfilling the Leader’s Role: Fostering Employee & Company Growth
Han emphasized that the key to driving outstanding performance lies in employees’ self-driven motivation, adding that leadership plays a crucial role in fostering such a mindset. In particular, he expressed a strong commitment to supporting the growth of younger team members.
“I believe that the role of a leader is to communicate in order to create an environment where employees can motivate themselves and take ownership of their work,” he said. “I will actively communicate and solve problems with my team so that passionate young employees who do their best can grow together with the company.”
In addition, Han emphasized that on-site safety remains the most important value even in a rapidly changing market, and encouraged employees to confidently move forward together.
“We are currently growing rapidly, and we must focus on achieving our goals. However, nothing is more important than safety at our facilities,” he claimed. “To ensure this, our management will lead by example. Also, I hope we never forget that we are the world’s best in our industry. Moving forward, I will continue to communicate and collaborate with my team, working together to build an even stronger SK hynix.”
Read more articles from the New Leadership Spotlight 2025 series
