Samsung Electronics’ sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory samples have passed NVIDIA’s reliability verification tests and will enter pre-production by month-end, according to industry sources cited by Sedaily. If Samsung clears this final validation stage, mass production could begin as early as November, potentially narrowing the gap with rival SK Hynix.
The development comes as Samsung desperately seeks to regain ground in the lucrative AI memory market where it has hemorrhaged share. The Korean giant’s HBM market share plummeted to 17% in the second quarter from 41% a year earlier, according to Counterpoint Research. SK Hynix has leapfrogged Samsung to become the world’s largest DRAM supplier for the first time in over three decades, capturing 36% market share.
Samsung’s HBM4 memory will be used in NVIDIA’s next-generation “Rubin” AI accelerators. SK Hynix delivered HBM4 samples to NVIDIA in March and shipped initial volumes in June, with mass production planned for October. The timeline gives Samsung little room for error as it attempts to break SK Hynix’s stranglehold on NVIDIA’s supply chain.
While the successful testing marks progress, Samsung still faces the challenge of demonstrating consistent yields and thermal performance that have previously hampered its HBM qualification efforts with the GPU giant.
