Samsung Electronics will ship HBM4, the sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory critical to next-generation artificial intelligence accelerator performance, to Nvidia as the world's first supplier after the Lunar New Year holiday. This marks Samsung's return to "first supplier" status with Nvidia after three years and positions the company to lead the custom AI semiconductor (ASIC) market.
According to industry sources on the 8th, Samsung plans to ship mass-produced HBM4 to Nvidia as early as the third week of this month. This delivery makes Samsung the first among the world's three major memory manufacturers—Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron—to complete final delivery of HBM4 to Nvidia, the industry's largest customer.
During its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call on December 29, Samsung stated that "qualification tests with major customers are progressing smoothly and have now entered the completion stage," signaling imminent delivery. The company received a purchase order after passing final tests earlier this month, confirming the shipment schedule. Nvidia is expected to unveil its next-generation AI accelerator "Vera Rubin" equipped with Samsung's HBM4 at its GTC 2026 technology conference next month.
With this first HBM4 shipment, Samsung reclaims market leadership after three years. Previously the primary supplier of second-generation HBM (HBM2), Samsung lost its preferred supplier status to SK Hynix for fourth-generation HBM3 in 2023 and faced delivery delays through fifth-generation HBM3E. This setback significantly impacted revenue and cost Samsung its position as the top memory maker. However, by securing first-supplier status for HBM4—which employs more advanced manufacturing processes—Samsung has restored its industry-leading position.
Market analysts expect Samsung's HBM revenue this year to approach 25 trillion won, more than tripling last year's figure. An industry official explained, "Market share dynamics will depend on the scale of Samsung's HBM4 supply commitments."