Samsung’s HBM4 earns positive feedback from Nvidia in potential turning point

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Samsung’s HBM4 earns positive feedback from Nvidia in potential turning point

Published: 23 Dec. 2025, 15:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong inspects the company's semiconductor R&D center in Giheung, Gyeonggi, on Dec. 22. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

Can Samsung Electronics regain its lost prestige in the high bandwidth memory (HBM) market?

After suffering the humiliation of having to “redesign” its HBM products, the company is now seeing a potential turnaround with encouraging test results for its sixth-generation HBM4 chips. A recent visit by Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong to the company’s Giheung and Hwaseong semiconductor campuses is also being interpreted as a signal of the firm’s renewed push for HBM leadership.

According to industry sources on Monday, Samsung received positive marks in a critical stage of Nvidia’s HBM4 quality evaluation — the system-in-package (SiP) test — particularly in power efficiency and processing speed. SiP refers to advanced packaging technology that integrates different semiconductor chips into a single package.

HBM is not used alone; it must work in tandem with graphics processing units (GPUs) and other computing chips to deliver performance. As a result, the SiP test goes beyond checking for defects in individual memory chips. It is considered the most critical phase, as it evaluates interoperability — whether GPU and HBM chips, produced using different manufacturing processes, can exchange data without issues within a single system.

Samsung narrows gap with SK hynix on HBM4

Market watchers initially expected SK hynix to leave Samsung in the dust in the race for HBM dominance, especially after SK hynix became the first in the industry to complete preparations for mass-producing HBM4 in September. However, Samsung’s HBM4 prototypes have performed more stably than expected in recent quality tests, raising the possibility that the early lead could be narrowed or even overturned.

SK hynix's high-bandwidth memory solution HBM3E on display at the SK AI Summit 2025 held in Coex, southern Seoul, on Nov. 3 [YONHAP]

This reversal is the result of Samsung’s yearlong struggle to recover. During the development of the previous generation HBM3E (fifth-generation), Samsung faced issues with heat dissipation and package optimization. Earlier this year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang publicly voiced concerns, saying that while he believed Samsung would succeed, a redesign was needed. In fact, Samsung slipped to third place in the global HBM market in the first half of this year, overtaken by U.S.-based Micron.

But things began to change in the second half. Under the leadership of Jun Young-hyun, who became head of the Device Solutions division in May last year, Samsung initiated a redesign of its HBM chips. In September, it finally succeeded in having its HBM3E products included in Nvidia’s supply chain — after multiple failed attempts.

According to market research firm TrendForce, Samsung reclaimed the No. 2 spot in the global HBM market in the third quarter with a 22 percent share, narrowly edging out Micron at 21 percent. SK hynix remained the leader with 57 percent, but its dominance — which reached 69 percent at the beginning of the year — is now showing signs of cracking.

Samsung Electronics HBM4, a sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory solution for AI and HPC applications, on display during the 2025 Korea Tech Festival in Seoul on Dec. 4 [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Samsung disbands dedicated HBM team amid rising confidence

Samsung’s growing confidence was also evident in its organizational restructuring last month. The company disbanded the HBM development team — a special unit established in July last year, shortly after Jun took office — and folded it into the DRAM development division. The decision suggests that Samsung now believes it can maintain competitiveness without a dedicated task force, signaling that its HBM4 technology is on track.

Still, Nvidia’s AI accelerator “Vera Rubin,” which will feature HBM4 chips, is not expected to launch until the second half of next year. This means both SK hynix and Samsung are likely to continue with additional quality testing and yield verification into early 2026.

“Let’s restore our core technological competitiveness through bold innovation and investment," said Samsung Electronics chairman Lee during his visit to the Giheung and Hwaseong campuses on Monday.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY YI WOO-LIM [[email protected]]