[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Samsung Electronics is set to become the world’s first supplier of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) to Nvidia, marking a major turnaround in the global AI memory race and restoring its status as Nvidia’s primary supplier after three years.

According to industry sources on Friday, Samsung plans to begin shipping mass-produced HBM4 to Nvidia as early as the third week of this month, following the Lunar New Year holiday. The move will make Samsung the first among the world’s three major memory makers—Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and Micron Technology—to deliver HBM4 to Nvidia, the largest customer in the AI accelerator market.

Samsung previously said during its earnings call on January 29 that qualification tests by major customers were nearing completion. The company has since passed final tests, secured purchase orders, and finalized shipment plans.

Nvidia is expected to unveil its next-generation AI accelerator, dubbed Vera Rubin, featuring Samsung’s HBM4, at its upcoming technology conference GTC 2026 next month, according to market expectations.

The early delivery of HBM4 allows Samsung to regain market leadership it lost during earlier HBM cycles. While Samsung was a key supplier during the HBM2 era, it lost first-supplier status to SK hynix with HBM3 in 2023 and saw delays continue into the HBM3E generation, weighing heavily on earnings and market share.

With HBM4 manufactured using a more advanced process and supplied first to Nvidia, Samsung is widely seen as reclaiming its position at the top of the global memory industry and strengthening its grip on the rapidly expanding custom AI semiconductor (ASIC) market.

 

 

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