Samsung nears Nvidia approval for critical HBM4 AI memory

Samsung Electronics Co. is nearing certification from Nvidia Corp. for its HBM4, the company’s sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory designed for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) applications. Analysts note that this development positions Samsung as a stronger competitor against rivals such as SK Hynix Inc.

According to reliable sources, Samsung advanced to the final qualification stage with Nvidia after submitting initial HBM4 samples to the U.S. chipmaker in September of last year. These sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information, confirmed the progress through insider details.

The insiders also explained that Nvidia’s certification process requires a company to have a substantial supply of high-bandwidth memory capable of supporting its AI accelerators.

To maintain its competitive edge and secure certification, Samsung plans to begin high-volume HBM4 production in February. While shipments are expected soon after, the exact timeline has yet to be finalized.

Samsung focuses on securing its leadership in the tech industry 

On Monday, January 26, reports from Seoul, the capital and largest city of South Korea, noted that Samsung’s shares rose as much as 3.2% before settling back to their original level. SK Hynix’s stock, on the other hand, drastically declined by around 3.2%. 

When reporters reached out to a Samsung representative for comment on this significant milestone. The spokesperson chose not to respond. Meanwhile, it is worth noting that, even with these impressive results, the tech company still lags behind key industry players, such as SK Hynix and Micron Technology Inc., particularly in the AI memory leadership race.  Interestingly, all three firms experienced a surge in the prices of their stocks amid heightened demand for memory in the electronics industry

This rise was noted after reports said these major memory chip makers collectively had a market value of almost $900 billion since early September. 

In response to this finding, several investors in the ecosystem expressed optimism about Samsung’s potential to supply parts for Nvidia’s new flagship Rubin processors alongside its rivals. Notably, Nvidia’s Rubin is a next-generation AI computing platform announced for a 2026 release. To date, Nvidia has mainly relied on SK Hynix for its cutting-edge memory chips used with its premium AI accelerators.

In the meantime, the Korea Economic Daily, a leading South Korean financial and business newspaper, reported that Samsung’s shipment of HBM4 to Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is expected to begin next month. To carry out this shipment successfully, a condition was laid: both Samsung and SK Hynix are scheduled to report their recent financial performance on Thursday, January 29. Apart from this, analysts anticipated that the firms would discuss their recent wins in HBM4 chip matters during these meetings. 

At this moment, sources reported that SK Hynix Inc., Nvidia Corp.’s key supplier, is projected to gain significant market share due to surging demand for memory chips.

Generally, SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics Co., and Micron Technology Inc. are striving to maximize production capacity and benefit from the growing demand for high-bandwidth memory chips, which are important for AI accelerators. 

Demand for memory chips increases amid the AI boom era 

Regarding the growing demand for memory chips, officials from Micron, another major supplier to Nvidia, argued that this surge has stretched the industry’s capacity to the limit, resulting in a shortage of standard memory essential to phones and computers. Such a scenario strengthens chipmakers’ pricing power. 

As the advantages of the rapid, worldwide acceleration of artificial intelligence adoption spread across the tech ecosystem, an initial report unveiled that Samsung’s quarterly operating profit is three times higher than last year.

Meanwhile, like Samsung, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has made clear its intention to allocate about $56 billion this year. Consequently, this announcement heightened confidence in the ecosystem, driving a rally in chip-related stocks across Asia. 

While Samsung releases its final quarterly earnings report on January 29, SK Hynix will report its fourth-quarter results.

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