BESI falls after media report says rules for HBM chip thickness may be loosened
Shares in BE Semiconductor Industries (Besi) BESI.AS fall 8.7% after ZDNet Korea reported that JEDEC, the industry group that sets chip standards, was discussing less strict thickness rules for next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips
HBM chips are the main type of memory chips used in AI accelerators
The Besi shares are on track for their largest single-day fall since October 2024 if the losses hold
According to the media report, JEDEC participants are discussing thickness standards of 825-900 micrometers or more for next-generation HBM products beyond HBM4, compared with 775 micrometers for HBM4
"This could potentially reduce demand for hybrid bonding, which is a technology that can result in less HBM high stacks," analyst Trion Reid from Berenberg said in an email
Major HBM chipmakers include Samsung Electronics 005930.KS, SK Hynix 000660.KS and Micron MU.O, serving clients such as Nvidia NVDA.O
HBM chips are currently made mainly using thermal compression bonding, while BESI investors are betting on future adoption of the company's hybrid bonding technology
