Samsung ships samples of the chip NVIDIA will buy like crazy next year

As the dominant supplier of AI accelerators, NVIDIA is one of the largest buyers of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips. The company had an insatiable demand for HBM3E chips and while Samsung has tried to win approval for its offering, the chip hasn't been able to clear NVIDIA's quality certification yet.

This enabled SK Hynix to gobble up the bulk of NVIDIA's demand and earn billions in the process. Samsung has since focused on improving its next-generation HBM4 chips to better compete with SK Hynix, and the company confirmed it has shipped samples to clients.

Samsung Electronics revealed during its earnings call today that it has completed development of the 6th generation HBM4 using its 1c process. Chip samples have already been shipped to major clients.

While it hasn't been officially confirmed, it's quite likely that samples have been sent to NVIDIA as well, since the company would be evaluating offerings to use for its next-gen AI accelerators in 2025. SK Hynix has already showcased its HBM4 samples at NVIDIA's GTC event in March this year.

Samsung had previously said that it intends to mass produce HBM4 chips later this year. Recent reports have suggested that its yields have crossed 65%, paving the way for feasible mass production and sustained supply at volume to clients.

With the company's profits from semiconductors down a staggering 94% this past quarter, Samsung needs a turnaround in this segment more than ever, and it would be hoping that the HBM4 chips help deliver it.