Samsung Advances in Nvidia’s HBM4 Qualification, AI Memory Race Heats Up

Samsung Electronics Co. has progressed to the final stage of Nvidia Corp.'s qualification process for its next-generation HBM4 memory chips, according to people familiar with the matter. The Korean tech giant submitted initial samples in September and now faces a critical production milestone—high-volume manufacturing is slated to begin in February.

Market reaction was immediate but fleeting. Samsung shares briefly jumped 3.2% before paring gains, while rival SK Hynix saw a 3.2% drop. The silence from Samsung's spokesperson speaks volumes—this is a strategic play in the $60 billion AI memory market where the company trails SK Hynix and Micron Technology.

The certification demands more than technical specs. Nvidia requires proven capacity to mass-produce these high-bandwidth memory modules that power AI accelerators. With all three memory giants racing to supply the AI boom, Samsung's February production target could shift the competitive landscape.