As memory chip market heats up like never before, Samsung narrows gap with home rival SK Hynix

Samsung Electronics is reportedly closing in on a critical milestone in the intensifying artificial intelligence (AI) memory chip market. The South Korean tech giant is nearing certification from Nvidia for its next-generation HBM4 memory chips and positioning itself to better compete with domestic rival SK Hynix, a report claims. A Bloomberg report citing sources familiar with the matter claims that Samsung has entered the final qualification phase with Nvidia after submitting initial samples in September 2025. Samsung is now preparing for mass production of HBM4 in February and will be ready to ship soon, though exact timing remains uncertain.

The development marks significant progress for Samsung in the high-bandwidth memory market, where Nvidia requires vast quantities of HBM to power its AI accelerators. The report notes that Samsung's shares gained as much as 3.2% in Seoul following the development. On the other hand, the shares of SK Hynix also fell by roughly the same amount, which is indicative of the competitive forces at play between the two South Korean firms in this rapidly growing industry.

How Samsung is competing with Micron and SK Hynix in the AI memory chip market

Samsung currently trails SK Hynix and Micron Technology in the AI memory market. However, in recent weeks, all three companies have seen their shares rise substantially as the AI rush has created a shortage of memory across the broader electronics industry. Among them, the three leading memory chip manufacturers have gained roughly $900 billion in market value since the start of September 2025.

Investor expectations are now growing that Samsung may be able to join its rivals in supplying components for Nvidia's upcoming Rubin processors. So far, Nvidia has relied heavily on SK Hynix for the advanced memory chips it pairs with its high-end AI accelerators.

Earlier, The Korea Economic Daily reported that Samsung is scheduled to begin HBM4 shipments to Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. next month. Both Samsung and SK Hynix are scheduled to hold earnings calls this week, during which they are expected to discuss progress on their HBM4 chips.