DigiTimes reports next-generation HBM4 prices could climb from about $2 per kbit
to $4–5 per kbit or higher in H2 2026, driven by surging AI demand and
structural capacity constraints. HBM4 manufacturing is highly complex with 4–6
month production cycles and low initial yields, and HBM consumes roughly three
times the wafer capacity of standard DDR5 DRAM, materially limiting total memory
output in existing fabs.