Samsung Electronics said Friday it has shipped the first samples of its 12-layer HBM4E chips — the industry’s first — to customers. Samsung stock jumped 5.8% in South Korean trading on the news, while Micron rose around 2% ahead of the U.S. open.
The new chip delivers more than a 20% improvement in data-processing speed and more than 30% greater capacity compared to the previous HBM4 generation.
Samsung said the chip uses its latest 1c DRAM process technology — its sixth-generation 10-nanometer-class DRAM — paired with a 4-nanometer foundry logic base die.
This shipment comes just three months after Samsung started sending HBM4 chips to customers in February. That’s a fast turnaround, and it signals how hard Samsung is pushing in the AI memory race.
“Samsung plans to begin mass production for HBM4E aligned with customer schedules, following initial sample shipments and optimization,” the company said in a statement.
Samsung’s customer list includes Nvidia, AMD, and Google — all key players driving demand for advanced memory in AI servers.
The company had flagged in April that it planned to ship HBM4E samples in the second quarter. It delivered on that timeline.
Micron is the main U.S. competitor to Samsung and SK Hynix in the HBM space. On the surface, Samsung’s latest move looks like pressure on Micron. In practice, it’s a little more complicated.
Micron has already said its entire HBM4 capacity is sold out for 2026. That doesn’t leave much room for Samsung’s news to hurt it in the near term.
BNP Paribas analysts expect the total HBM market to more than double this year to around $76 billion, then climb to $156 billion in 2027. With that kind of demand, there’s room for all three players to win.
At the end of 2025, SK Hynix led the market with 57% of global HBM revenue share, according to Counterpoint Research. Samsung held 22% and Micron came in at 21%.
Micron has had a strong run in the chip market, and Samsung’s HBM4E announcement is unlikely to knock it off course given how tight supply remains across the board.
SK Hynix remains the dominant player in HBM, but Samsung is clearly working to close the gap — and faster than many expected.
Nvidia, one of the biggest consumers of HBM chips, is up 0.78% alongside the broader positive sentiment in the sector Friday.
Samsung’s HBM4E uses its most advanced DRAM node to date, which the company says positions it well for next-generation AI hardware requirements.
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