HBM competition intensifies: Samsung obtains AMD certification and accelerates its pursuit of SK Hynix
A recent report released by TrendForce pointed out that the mainstream specification in the HBM memory market in 2024 will be HBM3. However, Nvidia’s upcoming B100 or H200 accelerator cards will use the HBM3e specification.
According to reports, AI accelerator cards currently face challenges not only from CoWoS packaging bottlenecks, but also from HBM limitations. The main reason is that the production cycle of HBM is longer than that of DDR5, and it takes at least two quarters from production to output and packaging.
NVIDIA’s current mainstream H100 accelerator card uses HBM3 memory, but its main supplier SK Hynix is currently unable to meet the overall AI market demand. According to TrendForce, Samsung will join NVIDIA’s supply chain with 1Znm products at the end of 2023. Though small in proportion, it’s a significant breakthrough for Samsung in the HBM field.
Samsung, AMD’s key supplier, saw HBM3 products successfully verified for AMD MI300 series in Q1 2024. Therefore, starting from the first quarter of 2024, Samsung HBM3 products will gradually increase in volume.
Starting from 2024, the market’s focus will turn to HBM3e.
The volume is expected to increase quarter by quarter in the second half, gradually dominating the HBM market. According to TrendForce’s survey, SK Hynix was the first to pass the verification, followed closely by Micron, and began to submit HBM3e mass production products at the end of the first quarter to cooperate with NVIDIA, which plans to ship at the end of the second quarter. H200.
Although Samsung submitted samples later, HBM3e is expected to pass verification by first quarter-end and ship officially in the second.
