Samsung Unlikely To Supply NVIDIA With HBM3E Memory This Year

Samsung may be unable to pass NVIDIA its supply of HBM3E memory this year. According to a report by the Korean news outlet, Daily Korea, the Korean electronics giant has yet to even meet the GPU giant’s memory qualifications, making it “realistically impossible” for it to deliver upon its promise.

“Although Samsung Electronics specifically mentioned the possibility of supplying HBM3E 8-layer products to major customers in the fourth quarter during its third-quarter earnings conference call, it is still too early to be optimistic because there is still a gap with competitors in terms of market entry times for next-generation products such as 12-layer products and HBM4 (6th generation),” Kim Gwang-jin, a researcher at Hanwha Investment & Securities, said in a report related to the company.

The promise included 8-layer and 12-layer HBM3E memory packages. Industry analysts believe that Samsung’s plight may be due to its rival, SK Hynix, having set such high standards, allowing the latter to dominate the HBM market. Some problems with its chip qualification process reportedly included heat and power consumption issues.

“The industry believes that Samsung Electronics is having difficulty meeting the HBM performance standards set by SK Hynix, the leader in this field. Reuters previously reported that Samsung Electronics’ HBM3E supply delay was due to heat and power consumption issues. The industry also considers Reuters’ report to be the most accurate.”

The irony to this story is that, only a few weeks ago, NVIDIA was supposedly working as fast as it could to get the new HBM3 memory certified. Sadly for the company, it looks like it’s going to have to hold its breath into the new year.

(Source: Daily Korea, TweakTown)

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