Samsung shows first HBM5 mockup with Heat Path Block cooling

At Computex 2026 in Taipei, Samsung unveiled its first physical mockup of High-Bandwidth Memory 5 (HBM5), featuring a novel in-package cooling structure called the Heat Path Block (HPB). This design a... Read original →

Samsung’s HBM5 mockup at Computex 2026 in Taipei, China, featuring Heat Path Block cooling, signals a strategic pivot: thermal management is now as critical as bandwidth. This forces upstream co-optimization of EUV patterning and TSV processes, while downstream AI accelerators must redesign power delivery and thermal interfaces. Samsung’s external heat-path approach contrasts with SK hynix’s embedded interfacial cooling—simpler packaging but higher substrate demands, potentially raising BOM costs by over 10%. Geopolitically, tightening U.S.-EU controls on advanced packaging tools mean Korean firms must deepen alignment with American clients to secure supply chains for 2nm-based HBM5. Within 18 months, NVIDIA and AMD will likely leverage HBM5 standardization to enforce unified thermal specs, sidelining Micron whose iHBM and D2D PHY lag behind.