The latest HBM3E memory from Samsung Electronics could not get into Nvidia’s supply chains for a long time because it did not pass certification tests, and now knowledgeable sources report that Samsung’s 8-layer chips of this type have finally been certified by the largest developer of chips for artificial intelligence systems.
This was reported by Reuters, citing three independent sources. Formally, this stage opens the way for Samsung products of this type to the long-awaited cooperation with Nvidia, since until now, of the three existing HBM3E manufacturers, only Samsung could not boast of having the necessary certificates. The leading supplier of HBM3E for Nvidia’s needs is known to be SK hynix, which controls about half of the market for this type of chip.
Samsung has yet to pass Nvidia certification for its 12-tier HBM3E chips, so the South Korean giant is still playing catch-up compared to its competitors. In the case of the HBM3E 8-tier stacks, Samsung has yet to sign a contract with Nvidia to begin shipping them to that customer in the fourth quarter of this year. It is believed that in order to meet Nvidia requirements, Samsung had to make major changes to the design and manufacturing technology of HBM3E memory chips.
It was recently reported that Samsung’s less advanced HBM3 memory has been certified by Nvidia for use in compute accelerators targeting the Chinese market. According to TrendForce estimates, HBM3E generation microcircuits will become the dominant type of HBM by the end of this year, with the bulk of their deliveries occurring in the second half of the year. Samsung directly expects to increase the share of HBM3E to 60% of shipments in the structure of HBM family chips by the end of this year.