Samsung Stock Jumps 7.6% on First HBM4 Chip Shipments

TLDR

• Samsung Electronics shipped its first commercial HBM4 chips to customers Thursday, marking a comeback in the AI memory chip race after falling behind SK Hynix
• Samsung shares jumped as much as 7.6% on the news, reaching a new all-time high as investors reacted to the competitive milestone
• The HBM4 chips deliver 11.7 gigabits-per-second processing speed, a 22% increase from HBM3E, with potential maximum speeds of 13Gbps
• Micron Technology announced Wednesday it began high-volume HBM4 production and customer shipments, while SK Hynix started volume production in Q4 2025
• Samsung achieved stable production yields using advanced DRAM processors and 4-nanometer logic technology, with HBM4E sample deliveries planned for second half 2026

Samsung Electronics announced Thursday it shipped the first commercial batch of HBM4 memory chips to customers. The Korean tech giant didn’t name specific buyers but the timing suggests Nvidia as a key recipient.

The stock market loved the news. Samsung shares jumped as much as 7.6% on Nextrade, hitting a new all-time high.

This marks a major turnaround for Samsung. The company had fallen behind domestic rival SK Hynix in supplying advanced memory chips for AI accelerators in recent years.

The HBM4 chips represent cutting-edge technology for artificial intelligence applications. They deliver a consistent processing speed of 11.7 gigabits-per-second, which is 22% faster than the previous HBM3E generation.

Samsung said the chips can reach maximum speeds of 13Gbps. This helps address growing data bottlenecks as AI models become more complex and data-hungry.

Racing Against Rivals

The competition in this market is heating up fast. Micron Technology told investors Wednesday it started high-volume production of HBM4 chips and began customer shipments.

Micron shares climbed about 3% in pre-market trading on the news. The Boise, Idaho-based company is now viewed as a major player in the AI chip boom.

SK Hynix announced in October it would begin supplying HBM4 to customers in the fourth quarter of 2025. The company said in January it aims to maintain its “overwhelming” market share in next-generation HBM4 chips.

All three companies are fighting for orders from Nvidia. The AI chip leader needs massive quantities of HBM chips for its upcoming Vera Rubin accelerators, considered the most powerful semiconductors for training and operating AI models.

Samsung achieved stable production yields by using more advanced DRAM processors and 4-nanometer logic technology. Production yields measure the percentage of usable chips coming off factory lines, a critical metric for profitability.

Samsung’s Comeback Story

Jaihyuk Song, Samsung’s president and chip division Chief Technology Officer, told reporters this week that the company’s HBM4 progress puts it back at the top of the memory industry.

The global rush to build AI data centers has created explosive demand for HBM chips. These specialized memory chips help process massive amounts of data generated by complex artificial intelligence applications.

Samsung also revealed plans to deliver samples for next-generation HBM4E chips in the second half of 2026. This keeps the company on track to compete in future memory generations.

SK Hynix said it aims to achieve production yields for HBM4 similar to its current-generation HBM3E chips. This would help maintain profitability as it ramps up volume.

Samsung shares closed up 6.4% Thursday on the Korea Stock Exchange.

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