Samsung Signals Comeback With HBM4 Chips as AI Market Heats Up

Samsung Electronics is signaling a strong comeback in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market, as customers praise the competitiveness of its next-generation HBM4 chips. In a New Year address, co-CEO and head of the semiconductor division Jun Young-hyun said customer feedback suggests “Samsung is back,” raising investor optimism that the company is closing the gap with rivals in the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence chip sector.

The South Korean tech giant has been working to regain momentum after losing ground to competitors, particularly SK Hynix, which has emerged as the market leader in AI-focused memory chips. In October, Samsung confirmed it was in close discussions to supply HBM4 chips to U.S.-based AI leader Nvidia, a potential partnership that could significantly boost its position in the global AI semiconductor supply chain.

According to data from Counterpoint Research, SK Hynix held a dominant 53% share of the global HBM market in the third quarter of 2025. Samsung followed with 35%, while U.S. rival Micron accounted for 11%. Investors are now closely watching whether Samsung’s fourth-generation HBM4 products can help narrow this gap as demand for AI accelerators, data centers, and advanced computing continues to rise.

Samsung has already begun taking concrete steps toward that goal. During its third-quarter earnings conference call, the company said it is currently shipping HBM4 samples to key clients. It also reiterated plans to focus on mass production of HBM4 products in 2026, positioning itself to benefit from long-term growth in AI and high-performance computing applications.

Market sentiment has responded positively to these developments. Shares of Samsung Electronics rose 1.9% in morning trading, outperforming South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI index, which gained 0.5% over the same period. The stock movement reflects growing confidence that Samsung’s renewed focus on advanced memory technology could strengthen its competitiveness.

As the AI chip race intensifies, Samsung’s progress with HBM4 could prove critical in reshaping market dynamics and restoring its reputation as a leading innovator in semiconductor technology.