Samsung Gains on Nvidia AI Chip Qualification, Boosting Memory Sector Sentiment

Samsung Electronics Co. shares climbed 5% to a 13-month high after reports its 12-layer HBM3E memory chips passed Nvidia Corp.'s qualification tests. While unconfirmed by the company, clearance would position Samsung to supply AI accelerators training models like ChatGPT—a market dominated by SK Hynix Inc. Foreign investors bought over $2 billion of Samsung stock in September alone.

The breakthrough comes after 19 months of development delays that raised doubts about Samsung's technical competitiveness. Citigroup anticipates an official announcement by early October, though shipments to Nvidia may remain limited this year given existing commitments to SK Hynix and Micron Technology Inc.

Goldman Sachs views the development positively, noting it reinforces Samsung's leadership in commodity memory chips amid tightening AI-driven demand. The stock has gained 20% this month as investors bet on AI-related supply constraints.