Samsung's HBM3E memory failed the evaluation test set by NVIDIA

Korean publication AlphaBiz reported that Samsung was said to have been unable to pass a series of quality tests that NVIDIA set for its HBM3E 8-layer memory product line. Detailed information has not yet been disclosed, but this result will certainly have an extremely negative impact on Samsung's memory business and development segment, which is showing signs of recovery after many difficult quarters.

SK Hynix is ​​currently the main HBM memory supplier for NVIDIA, and accounts for more than half of the global market share. Of course such a lucrative market is not one that a single company can monopolize. A series of large semiconductor manufacturers are racing to catch up with SK Hynix in the HBM market, competing not only in technology but also in price.

Samsung attracted NVIDIA's interest in its HBM production line after the project of integrating 8-layer HBM3E memory into AMD's AI accelerator showed good results. Previously, on stage at a technology event in March, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang could not hide his excitement about high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips. The CEO praised this as a 'technological miracle', an essential part of the AI ​​revolution.

HBM is a type of DRAM chip with a stacked structure, requiring manufacturers to master very complex stacking machining techniques. AlphaBiz's report revealed that Samsung's HBM3E memory has been classified as "defective", not necessarily because the manufacturer's products are bad, but because the standards already set by SK hynix are high, with the successful application of various production techniques. That's a lot different from Samsung, while NVIDIA simply wants everything to follow a familiar process.

Rumors also revealed that TSMC has shown reluctance to incorporate Samsung as an HBM partner, as the Taiwanese giant is an important ally of NVIDIA in the industry, so the situation has entered a new phase. It was recently revealed that TSMC and SK hynix have formed an alliance called "One Team", aiming to cooperate and indirectly hinder Samsung's influence in the HBM market.

However, Samsung has reiterated its commitment to providing optimal products to NVIDIA and other partners, and partnerships with companies like AMD show that the news surrounding the defective HBM supply is not necessarily true. something too serious. If we look at the industry dynamics, Samsung's rapidly growing influence in the HBM memory chip market is considered a threat to TSMC and SK hynix, simply because the Korean giant can supply provides advanced memory and semiconductor supplies through its divisions, such as Samsung Foundry.

Kareem Winters

Update 16 May 2024