3D Packaging Ignites IC Design Revolution, Semiconductor Industry Enters the Era of Three-Dimensional Integration

In the past decade, Moore’s Law has gradually approached its physical limits, while the explosive growth of AI, large model training, and high-performance computing has posed unprecedented challenges to chip performance and energy efficiency. To break through these bottlenecks, the semiconductor industry is undergoing a “three-dimensional revolution” centered on 3D packaging and next-generation IC design.

According to the latest report from Yole Group, the global advanced packaging market is expected to exceed $62 billion by 2028, with 3D IC and hybrid bonding technologies dominating the landscape. Especially in the fields of high bandwidth memory (HBM), AI accelerators, and high-performance servers, 3D packaging has become the only viable path for performance leaps. TSMC has announced plans for mass production of SoIC-X technology by 2026 to support Chiplet integration for AI GPUs; Samsung Electronics plans to launch HBM4 in 2025, reducing power consumption and increasing bandwidth through X-Cube 3D stacking; Intel continues to advance Foveros Direct hybrid bonding, having already introduced 3D technology into client CPUs and plans to expand its application across server and accelerator products. With global HBM demand expected to more than double in the next two years, advanced packaging capacity is experiencing a “construction rush.”

3D packaging not only changes the manufacturing process but also profoundly impacts IC design logic. In the post-Moore era, designers no longer simply pursue smaller process nodes but need to optimize across three levels: process, architecture, and system. Chiplet architecture has become mainstream, with AMD reshaping the server CPU market through a small chip architecture, and NVIDIA’s latest GB200 Grace Blackwell super chip also adopting multi-chip 3D packaging. EDA tool vendors are fully upgrading, with Cadence and Synopsys launching platforms that support 3D design to address thermal management, interconnect delay, and signal integrity issues. Meanwhile, logic, memory, analog, and RF chips will gradually converge within the same 3D package, achieving true system-level packaging. IC design is shifting from “single-chip optimization” to “system integration optimization,” which will be the core challenge for the next decade.

As international giants accelerate their layouts, Chinese semiconductor companies are also actively seeking breakthroughs. SMIC is developing silicon through-silicon vias (TSV) based 3D packaging, focusing on memory and high-performance computing; Huahong Semiconductor and China Resources Microelectronics are exploring differentiated 3D integration in analog and power devices; and leading packaging companies such as JCET, Tongfu Microelectronics, and Huatian Technology have successively introduced hybrid bonding and Fan-Out system-level packaging processes, serving customers in memory and AI chip manufacturing. Meanwhile, domestic EDA companies are also accelerating efforts to fill gaps, striving to form differentiated competitive advantages in the next 3 to 5 years. Industry insiders point out that for Chinese manufacturers to truly seize opportunities, they must achieve collaborative breakthroughs in three key areas: equipment, materials, and EDA tools.

The latest white paper from the International Semiconductor Technology Roadmap indicates that Moore’s Law has not ended but has evolved into the “more packaging law.” This means that the key to future performance improvements will no longer rely solely on nanoscale processes but will break through physical limits through three-dimensional integration. Gartner predicts that by 2030, over 60% of high-performance chips will adopt 3D or heterogeneous integration architectures, which will profoundly change the industry landscape.

From processes to design, from materials to packaging, the entire semiconductor industry chain is being reshaped by 3D packaging. In the next decade, the core of chip competition will no longer be a single process but rather “who can build the optimal 3D system.” For Chinese companies, this is a window of opportunity for synchronous catch-up; if they can achieve breakthroughs in 3D design and process collaboration, they are likely to secure a place in the new era of computing power.

3D packaging is becoming a new engine driving the computing power revolution, and IC design is undergoing a historic shift from planar to three-dimensional. It is foreseeable that future chip competition will be a true “three-dimensional war.”

Comparison of Global Major Manufacturers’ 3D Packaging and IC Design Layouts