Samsung shows first HBM5 mockup with Heat Path Block cooling — thermal race with SK hynix shaping up

Samsung showcased its first physical mockup of HBM5 memory at Computex 2026, featuring a new in-package cooling structure called Heat Path Block (HPB). This move comes in response to SK hynix unveiling its own iHBM thermal design, with both companies addressing the heat bottleneck in the die-to-die interface connecting memory to the processor. Samsung plans to fabricate HBM5's base die on its 2nm process, down from the 4nm node used for previous generations. The HPB design focuses on managing heat within the stack, improving thermal efficiency and performance for next-generation memory solutions.