Samsung Nears Nvidia’s Approval for Key HBM4 AI Memory Chips
(Bloomberg) — Samsung Electronics Co. is nearing certification from Nvidia Corp. for the latest version of its AI memory chip, called HBM4, and rival SK Hynix Inc. It is making progress in closing the gap with the
The Suwon, South Korea-based company has entered the final qualification phase with Nvidia after providing its first samples to the US chipmaker in September, according to sources familiar with the matter. Nvidia uses large amounts of high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, to enable its AI accelerators.
People who wanted to remain anonymous because the information is confidential said that Samsung was preparing for the mass production of HBM4 in February. Although the exact timing is not yet clear, the company will be ready to ship soon. Its shares rose as much as 3.2% before paring gains in Seoul on Monday, while shares of SK Hynix lost about the same amount.
A Samsung representative declined to comment.
Samsung trails SK Hynix and Micron Technology Inc. at the forefront of AI memory, but all three companies have seen their shares rise significantly in recent weeks as the AI onslaught creates memory shortages for the broader electronics industry. Between them, the three leading memory chip makers appear to have amassed a market value of around $900 billion since the beginning of September.
Investors are growing hopeful that Samsung could join rivals in supplying components for Nvidia’s upcoming flagship Rubin processors. So far, Nvidia has relied mostly on SK Hynix for its most advanced memory chips, which it pairs with top-end AI accelerators.
In previous news from Korea Economic Daily, it was reported that Samsung will start shipping HBM4 to Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. next month. Both Samsung and SK Hynix are scheduled to hold earnings calls on Thursday and are expected to discuss progress on HBM4 chips.
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