TSMC denies exploring 3D DRAM at Nvidia's request

What happened

According to a report from The Information, two people familiar with the initiative said TSMC has begun preparing plans for 3D DRAM manufacturing following a request from its largest customer, Nvidia; the initiative is reportedly overseen by Hsu Kuo-chin, TSMC's vice president responsible for advanced packaging and former head of Micron's Taiwanese operations. The report attributes the backdrop to surging demand for AI hardware straining global DRAM supplies and driving up prices, turning memory from a commodity into a strategic asset. TSMC denied the report: a TSMC spokesperson told Tom's Hardware, "Please note that TSMC focuses on our core business at all times, which is dedicated IC foundry," with a mission "to be the trusted technology and capacity provider of the global logic IC industry for years to come," and TSMC states it is a pure-play logic foundry and plans to remain one. The article notes that 3D DRAM is years away from market viability even for major memory makers, so a 3D DRAM strategy could not solve memory shortages for at least five years; all three leading DRAM makers — Micron, Samsung, and SK hynix — are working on their own 3D DRAM projects, and Micron's DRAM strategy includes at least four more planar DRAM process technologies before 3D DRAM becomes a reality. TSMC lacks the processes and production capacity to make DRAM, would need to invest billions of dollars and years of R&D if it entered the DRAM business, and would face cyclical oversupply risk, potential complications with large DRAM makers — in particular SK Hynix, which partnered with the foundry in 2024 to manufacture logic base dies for next-generation HBM products — and possible antitrust scrutiny; the article also notes TSMC could benefit from advanced memory demand without making DRAM, via producing logic base dies for HBM, integrating memory with processors using its SoIC hybrid bonding technology, and developing customized memory solutions with partners such as GUC and established DRAM manufacturers. The 3D DRAM exploration is an unconfirmed media report that TSMC has denied.

Impact and signal

Affected components and suppliers

Source and time

Source: Tom's Hardware · 11/7/2026 · View original source