Shifting HBM4 Controller Functions Closer To Memory (UC Riverside)

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Tharunya Yogananda and Wantong Li of UC Riverside have published a paper presenting the first systematic quantitative study of how HBM4 controller functions can be partitioned between the host and the HBM base die. Since HBM4's base die can be fabricated with a logic process, more complex controller functions can be placed next to the DRAM; the study splits the controller by function and evaluates four placement schemes ranging from a fully host-based controller to a fully base-die controller.

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Tharunya Yogananda and Wantong Li of the University of California, Riverside published a technical paper titled “Beyond Host-Side Control: HBM Controller Partitioning Across Host and HBM Base Dies.”

Abstract Excerpt:

“Recent generations of high bandwidth memory (HBM), such as HBM4, allow the base die of the memory stack to be manufactured using a logic process that can accommodate more complex controller functions next to the DRAM. We present the first systematic quantitative study of function-level controller placement between the host and the HBM4 base die on a silicon interposer. We divide the controller into its main functions and evaluate four placements, from a complete host controller to a complete base die controller, with intermediate placements that move maintenance or scheduling to the base die. “

Find the technical paper here. November 2026.

Yogananda, Tharunya, and Wantong Li. “Beyond Host-Side Control: HBM Controller Partitioning Across Host and HBM Base Dies.” arXiv:2611.10930, November 2026. License.