Samsung Electronics has begun sample shipments of the world’s first HBM4E. It is being noted as an important step to capture the rapidly growing demand for high-performance memory in the AI market and to regain leadership in the HBM market, where SK Hynix is leading.
🟧 Samsung Electronics begins shipments of the world’s first HBM4E sample, aiming to make a comeback in the next-generation memory race for AI
Samsung Electronics announced that it has shipped samples of the next-generation AI accelerator memory “HBM4E 12-Layer” to global customers. The company began mass production shipments of HBM4 in February 2026, and within just a few months, it started supplying its enhanced version, HBM4E. This HBM4E product was developed with the aim of improving the processing performance of AI servers and large language models (LLMs).
- Achieves pin speeds up to 16Gbps, delivering over 20% performance improvement compared to HBM4
- It offers up to 3.6TB/s bandwidth and 48GB capacity, with a 64GB version planned for future release.
- Enhancing AI data center performance by improving power efficiency by 16% and reducing thermal resistance by over 14%
What stands out most is the adoption of the same 1c DRAM (10nm class 6th generation DRAM) and 4nm base die as HBM4. By leveraging technologies with already proven mass production experience, it is possible to reduce the risk of transitioning to mass production of HBM4E.
🟧The rapid expansion of HBM demand for AI is accelerating next-generation memory development.
With the recent boom in generative AI, the importance of HBM, which can process vast amounts of data at high speed, has rapidly increased in AI accelerators from NVIDIA and AMD. Even if GPU performance improves, insufficient memory bandwidth prevents AI models from fully utilizing their training and inference capabilities.
Currently, SK Hynix holds a dominant position in the HBM market, capturing a significant share in HBM supply for Nvidia. On the other hand, from the fourth generation of HBM onward, customization requests for each customer are expected to increase. Samsung is known for its “one-stop turnkey solution,” which owns memory, foundry, and advanced packaging in-house, and this vertically integrated system could lead to a competitive advantage.
Additionally, Micron plans to mass-produce HBM4E in 2027, and competition in the HBM market is expected to intensify further.
🟧 Conclusion
Samsung Electronics strongly demonstrated its presence in the next-generation AI memory market through the world’s first HBM4E sample shipment. This product not only improves performance, capacity, and power efficiency but also emphasizes mass production by leveraging process technologies proven in HBM4.
The future focus will be whether we can gain adoption from NVIDIA and major AI chip manufacturers. I feel that HBM4E is not just high-speed memory, but a crucial strategic product that will determine semiconductor competitiveness in the AI era.
