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**SK Hynix & Micron Could Be Joined by Samsung in the HBM4 Race, Offering Higher Competition**
For those unaware, Samsung has been vying for a spot in NVIDIA’s HBM supply chain network, after being beaten by SK hynix and Micron. The Korean company has made multiple attempts to get its HBM3 process certified but faced several obstacles. However, with HBM4 and HBM3E, Samsung’s position may change.
According to a report by Sedaily, Samsung has passed NVIDIA’s reliability tests for HBM4 and is offering an attractive deal for HBM3E. Last month, Samsung shipped its HBM4 process to NVIDIA for sampling, which it successfully completed the initial prototype and quality tests. The next phase involves testing memory with prototype GPU solutions to assess real-time performance and metrics like temperature and speed.
Once pre-production is complete, Samsung will ramp up towards high-volume manufacturing. If Samsung’s HBM4 process progresses smoothly, mass production could begin by November. This would join SK hynix, which plans to increase its HBM4 volume by year-end. For Samsung, securing the certification in NVIDIA’s supply chain is a significant breakthrough, given its recent sluggish quarters.
Apart from HBM4, Samsung has proposed a 20-30% reduction in pricing for HBM3E used in NVIDIA’s H20 compared to SK hynix. While NVIDIA plans to verify the quality tests of Samsung’s HBM3E and HBM4 before finalizing prices with SK hynix.
Given how rapidly Samsung has lost market share in the DRAM industry over the past few years, the company must take concrete steps to regain competition. It appears that Samsung is taking effective measures to restore trust in the industry.
