TSMC weighs making advanced 3D DRAM memory chips at Nvidia's request, The Information reports

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the contract chipmaker that makes most leading AI accelerators, has recently started charting plans to make an advanced kind of memory chip called 3D DRAM at the request of Nvidia, its biggest customer, The Information reported on 6 November, according to Reuters. The Information cited two people with direct knowledge; its own article is behind a paywall.

TSMC could build new factories or buy an existing plant and convert it to memory production, and the timing of any production is unclear, Reuters reports, citing The Information. The effort is led by Hsu Kuo-chin, a vice president who oversees advanced packaging at TSMC, according to the report. The Next Web reports the plan, the two options and Hsu's role. TSMC and Nvidia did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

3D DRAM stacks memory cells vertically. The memory market is dominated by Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Micron, and AI demand has caused a shortage that has pushed prices up. AI accelerators need large amounts of high-bandwidth memory next to the processor, so a supplier that could make both, and package them together, would take a larger share of each AI server's cost.

Nothing has been decided, by the account of the report, and neither company has confirmed it.

• Reported TSMC has recently started charting plans for 3D DRAM at Nvidia's request, The Information reported, according to Reuters. Reuters, via Investing.com, citing The Information
• Reported TSMC could build new factories or buy and convert an existing plant, and the effort is led by vice president Hsu Kuo-chin, The Information reported, according to The Next Web. The Next Web, citing The Information