Samsung’s Advanced Packaging Technologies: Addressing Challenges in High-Performance Computing and AI
Introduction
In the semiconductor industry, High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) represent the two primary demand drivers, creating enormous impact across the sector. The computational demands of AI models have increased millionfold from GPT-1 to GPT-4, making data processing bottlenecks increasingly apparent, while the slowdown of Moore’s Law has left traditional process technologies struggling to keep pace.
Against this backdrop, Samsung has developed breakthrough solutions for HPC and AI through advanced packaging technologies including High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), 3D logic stacking, and I-Cube, with fan-out packaging technology representing another critical development area.
Of course, technological progress is never straightforward. Issues related to heat dissipation, process complexity, and cost continue to present challenges. This article analyzes Samsung’s current status, challenges, and future development in this field by examining technical details and industry trends.
Part 1: Advanced Packaging Technologies in HPC and AI: Current Status and Challenges
As computing power and data throughput demands surge in HPC and AI, the semiconductor industry is transitioning from a “process-dominated” to a “packaging-driven” development model.
Samsung’s strategic deployment of technologies such as HBM, 3D logic stacking, and I-Cube not only demonstrates its technical prowess but also highlights the central role of advanced packaging in breaking through performance bottlenecks. However, implementing and promoting these technologies is no smooth path, with heat dissipation, reliability, and cost issues remaining critical challenges.
HBM Technology: A Breakthrough Solution for Memory Bandwidth
High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) is a core technology for solving memory bandwidth bottlenecks in HPC and AI applications. The computational demands of AI training and inference heavily depend on memory bandwidth, which traditional DRAM struggles to satisfy.
Samsung’s progress in the HBM domain is significant: In July 2023, its HBM3 12H achieved mass production, reaching new heights in stacking height and performance. The hybrid copper bonding (HCB) technology for HBM4 16H is also under development, aiming to further enhance bandwidth and stacking capabilities.
HBM-TCB (Thermal Compression Bonding) technology achieves 12H mass production through non-conductive film (NCF) and has introduced 16H samples. Compared to traditional Mass Reflow-Molded Underfill (MR-MUF), TCB technology reduces chip thickness by 15%, decreases bonding gaps, significantly increases bump density, and reduces thermal resistance by 35%, thereby optimizing electrical performance and heat dissipation.
HBM-HCB technology goes even further, with 12H and 16H samples already developed. Its thermal resistance is 20% lower than TCB, with stronger stacking capabilities, laying the foundation for next-generation high-bandwidth requirements.
The increased number of stacking layers in HBM technology presents cooling challenges. Vertical heat transfer is particularly pronounced in high-stack designs. While HCB technology optimizes thermal resistance, overall thermal management still requires innovation, such as introducing microfluidic cooling or new heat-conductive materials. Process complexity significantly increases costs.
Taking 16H as an example, the improved bump density demands extremely high bonding precision, and yield fluctuations could lead to uncontrolled costs. Samsung needs to find a balance in cooling design, process optimization, and the market application of customized HBM to meet various customer requirements.
3D Logic Stacking Technology: The Future Direction of High-Density Integration
3D logic stacking technology achieves high I/O density and fine pitch through vertical integration, representing a key path for heterogeneous integration in HPC and AI.
Samsung’s TCB-based 25μm pitch technology has achieved mass production, with I/O density twice that of MR-CUF, 5% lower thermal resistance, and superior production efficiency.
The more advanced 3μm pitch 3D HCB technology has completed verification, offering 70 times higher I/O density and 33% lower power consumption, enabling high-integration and low-power designs. This technology has broad application prospects, especially in future SF4/5 node HPC chips.
The cooling and reliability issues of 3D stacking technology cannot be ignored. Vertical stacking concentrates heat inside the chip, making traditional air or liquid cooling solutions inadequate for high-density heat flow.
The ultra-fine 3μm pitch process places extremely high demands on equipment and materials, with minor deviations potentially causing signal attenuation or short circuits.
Reliability testing is also a major challenge, especially regarding long-term stability in high-temperature and high-humidity environments.
Samsung needs to increase investment in thermal management (such as 3D thermal simulation) and testing methods (like accelerated aging tests) to ensure industrial implementation of the technology.
I-Cube Technology: An Integration Tool for AI Data Centers
I-Cube technology meets AI data centers’ demands for high bandwidth and low latency through large interposer layers and multi-chip integration.
I-Cube S (silicon interposer) has been developed, while I-Cube E/R (panel-level RDL interposer) is under development. I-Cube E employs a silicon bridge plus RDL structure, elevating production from wafer-level to panel-level, significantly improving efficiency while achieving low loss under 112G SerDes to meet high-speed data transmission requirements.
The complexity of panel-level processes is the main obstacle facing large interposer layers. Warping and stress issues are difficult to avoid, and alignment accuracy deviations may affect signal integrity.
Additionally, initial equipment investment and process debugging costs are relatively high, limiting cost-effectiveness. Samsung needs to focus on improving yield and optimizing production processes to achieve large-scale application of I-Cube technology in AI data centers.
Part 2: Advanced Packaging Technologies in Mobile AI: Balance Between Flexibility and Low Power Consumption
Mobile AI places unique demands on packaging technology: it requires high performance to support complex calculations while maintaining low power consumption and excellent heat dissipation to accommodate compact designs. Samsung’s fan-out packaging technology and heterogeneous integration ecosystem stand out in this field, providing flexible and efficient solutions for mobile AI.
Fan-Out Packaging Technology: Performance Accelerator for Mobile APs
Fan-Out packaging (Fan-Out PKG) technology has been used in mobile AP mass production since 2023, adopting chip-last and double-sided RDL FOWLP technology. Compared to traditional solutions, its process turnaround time (TAT) improves by 33%, architecture design is more flexible, and thermal resistance decreases by 45%, significantly enhancing heat dissipation.
For low-power wide I/O memory, Samsung has introduced multi-chip stacked FOPKG technology. Through high aspect ratio copper pillars (AR>6:1) and fine-pitch RDL, I/O density increases 8-fold, bandwidth improves 2.6 times, and production rate is 9 times higher than vertical wire bonding.
Fan-out packaging offers significant advantages, but mobile devices’ sensitivity to power consumption and heat dissipation requires solving material matching issues in high-density interconnections, such as inconsistencies in coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) that may lead to stress accumulation.
Furthermore, as mobile AI computing demands grow, the scalability of fan-out packaging requires further optimization. Samsung can enhance the technology’s adaptability through material innovation (such as low-CTE substrates) and modular design.
Heterogeneous Integration Ecosystem: Collaboration Driving Innovation
Samsung’s heterogeneous integration ecosystem encompasses EDA tool suppliers (such as Cadence, Synopsys), OSATs (such as ASE, Amkor), and PCB manufacturers (such as IBIDEN), providing comprehensive support for technology development.
EDA tools ensure design reliability in aspects like layout and routing (P&R) and power signal integrity analysis (PSI), while OSATs and PCB manufacturers accelerate the industrialization of packaging and assembly.
The ecosystem’s synergy depends on unified technical standards; interface mismatches may delay development progress.
Additionally, balancing IP sharing and protection presents a major challenge: finding equilibrium between open innovation and core technology protection requires careful consideration. Samsung needs to improve collaboration mechanisms and enhance the ecosystem’s response speed and flexibility.
All in all
Samsung has established a solid foundation in advanced packaging technology for the HPC and AI era. Through continuous breakthroughs in HBM, 3D logic stacking, I-Cube, and fan-out packaging technologies, Samsung’s heterogeneous integration ecosystem further accelerates technology implementation.
By increasing stacking layers, optimizing pitch, and expanding interposer sizes, Samsung continues to lead the development of semiconductor packaging technology. However, challenges such as cooling bottlenecks, process complexity, and cost control still require collective industry response.
