Micron Develops Vertical HBM Targeting 2028 Production, Faces Heat Dissipation Tradeoff

Micron Technology (MU) is developing vertical high-bandwidth memory (vHBM), which stacks DRAM directly atop processors to shorten data paths between memory and compute units, targeting volume production in 2028, according to a company technology roadmap presented at a recent webinar. The architecture promises higher bandwidth for AI inference workloads but hinders processor heat dissipation, a tradeoff BNP Paribas senior analyst Karl Ackerman said may limit its deployment. He expects vHBM to be used alongside conventional interposer-based HBM rather than replace it, with system makers choosing configurations based on bandwidth needs, thermal limits and packaging complexity. Micron's roadmap extends through HBM6 by 2030 and includes vEIM, which stacks low-power LPDDR memory on edge-device logic chips, targeting 2TB per second bandwidth at under 1 picojoule per bit, also slated for 2028 production. Near-term earnings remain driven by HBM, server DRAM and enterprise SSDs, with Ackerman noting Micron expects supply tightness to persist at least two more years.