The chip industry's race to boost AI performance is shifting from process shrinks to 3D stacking, which fuses logic and memory in one package, and Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are staying cautious about commercializing it while China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) moves to claim the niche, semiconductor analyst Jukan reports. Samsung's foundry division is reportedly fielding a steady stream of inquiries about 3D ICs as demand grows for custom AI chips like ASICs and inference chips alongside Nvidia's general-purpose GPUs. Industry officials say custom, 3D-stacked DRAM is a fundamentally different business from the standardized, mass-produced DRAM that Samsung and SK hynix are built around, since every customer wants a different memory configuration and stacking method, making it hard to run profitably at scale. That is why the two Korean giants are expected to keep 3D IC work at the research stage rather than mobilizing full business units, while later entrants chasing niche demand move first. CXMT, blocked from the high-bandwidth memory market by US export controls, is reportedly building 3D IC capability instead, and Taiwan's Winbond is named alongside it as another niche player. CXMT has reportedly already produced several 3D DRAM sample chips ahead of rivals worldwide.
Why it matters · It signals a possible shift in competitive positioning, where Korea's memory giants stick to standardized mass production while China's CXMT could claim next-generation niche memory technology first.
Worth asking · Is skipping the niche 3D IC market a missed opportunity for Samsung and SK hynix, or the smart call?