SK Hynix has officially responded to a Korea Herald report claiming the company is considering Intel Foundry as a second supplier for HBM base dies starting with HBM4E . The company stated that it "cannot confirm" internal technology roadmap details and that "parts of the content are not in line with the facts" .

The original report had suggested that Intel Foundry could break TSMC's current exclusive grip on HBM base die production . Sources quoted in the report noted that TSMC's base die costs for HBM4 are 3–4 times higher than SK Hynix's self-produced DRAM core dies, creating an incentive for supplier diversification . The move would also strengthen SK Hynix's pricing leverage in negotiations with TSMC .

The background: from HBM1 to HBM3E, base dies were made using DRAM processes. But from HBM4 onward, the base die has shifted to logic processes – currently TSMC's 12nm – due to increased complexity and performance demands . For HBM4E, cost pressure is expected to intensify further .

SK Hynix's carefully worded denial stops short of confirming or disproving the Intel discussion, leaving the door open to speculation .

ICgoodFind Takeaway:
Denial or not, the HBM base die supply chain is under the spotlight. Cost pressure and diversification logic remain real – and any foundry shift would reshape the HBM ecosystem.