Samsung is accelerating its HBM roadmap by actively attracting talent. According to SEDaily, Samsung Electronics recruits employees throughout the entire HBM development process, from design and packaging to reliability assessment and customer technical support. Following the successful mass production of the sixth-generation HBM4 and customer selection of the seventh-generation HBM4E this year, as well as the presentation of the eighth-generation HBM5 technology, many believe that the company is strengthening its talent pool to accelerate product development and improve customer qualifications.
Samsung Electronics will recruit experienced professionals for six HBM-related positions from July 13 to July 27, the report states. The five positions are in the Memory Division and cover HBM Core Die Design, HBM Base Die Design, HBM Reliability Assessment, HBM Package Development, and HBM Application Development. The Semiconductor Research Center is also hiring engineers to develop the next generation HBM packaging process. Industry sources cited in the report view Samsung’s simultaneous hiring at each stage of HBM development as part of a strategy to expand HBM4 mass production and parallel development of HBM4E and HBM5.
How Samsung’s HBM Hiring Supports Its Roadmap
The report notes that this recruitment is expected to directly contribute to the commercialization of Samsung’s HBM roadmap. Core die design engineers will focus on improving the speed and power efficiency of next-generation DRAM for HBM4E and HBM5, while base die design engineers will enhance Samsung’s custom HBM capabilities.
Samsung is also hiring packaging and reliability engineers to address the increased stack height and thermal issues of the HBM4E and HBM5. Packaging process development roles include multilayer hybrid copper bonding, TSV module development and HBM copper pad planarization. The report notes that Samsung plans to further develop hybrid connectivity along with Heat Path Block (HPB) technology to reduce case thickness and thermal resistance in high-stack HBM products. In addition, the recruitment of application engineers is intended to shorten customer qualification cycles.
Broader Semiconductor Hiring Strategy
HBM’s hiring drive comes as Samsung Electronics ramps up hiring in its semiconductor business. According to AlphaBiz, the company is hiring experienced professionals across 82 job categories in its Device Solutions (DS) division. Notably, the report notes that none of the positions listed are related to R&D, design or process technology for next-generation power semiconductors, which some analysts interpret as a sign that Samsung may be reducing its focus on the power semiconductor business.
As for its competitor SK hynix, The JoongAng reports that the company posted a job advertisement on June 24 for experienced professionals, including HBM Foundry Process Integration and HBM Digital Design positions. The report said SK hynix is increasing its hiring in foundry and systems engineering as the development of next-generation HBM increasingly relies on capabilities beyond just memory technology as advanced packaging, logic design and advanced processes become increasingly important to HBM’s competitiveness.
(Photo credit: Samsung)
Please note that this article quotes information from SEDaily, AlphaBiz and The JoongAng.
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