Samsung’s troubles become evident with HBM3E. While SK hynix and Micron ramped 8-high and 12-high HBM3E for customers, Samsung struggled to get its 12-high stacks qualified. It reportedly took 18 months and several attempts to meet Nvidia’s quality and performance criteria for HBM3E. By Q3 2025, Samsung had finally cleared Nvidia’s validation, with its 5th-generation HBM3E 12-stack passing all tests.
Until now, Samsung HBM has appeared only in AMD’s MI300-series accelerators. However, with Nvidia’s certification, the company has agreed to purchase between 30,000 and 50,000 units of 12-high HBM3E for use in liquid-cooled AI servers. Samsung’s HBM3E is also shipping for AMD’s accelerators as of mid-2025.
A bit reminiscent of their fight against TSMC in the semiconductor fabrication space. If Intel does have return to form (which is a big if), Samsung might once again fight themselves in third place.
A bit reminiscent of their fight against TSMC in the semiconductor fabrication space. If Intel does have return to form (which is a big if), Samsung might once again fight themselves in third place.