Samsung shares rose sharply after the company said it had started shipping samples of its latest high-bandwidth memory chip to customers worldwide. The move places Samsung deeper into the race for advanced AI memory, where speed, capacity, and early supply remain key for chipmakers serving data centers and AI processor firms.
The South Korean company said its new 12-layer HBM4E chip can reach speeds of up to 16 Gigabits per second. It also offers 48GB capacity, more than 30% above the previous generation. The announcement lifted Samsung Electronics shares by nearly 6% in Friday trading.
Samsung Electronics said it has begun shipping samples of its 12-layer HBM4E chip to global customers. The company described the product as the industry’s first shipment of this type. High-bandwidth memory chips play a key role in AI systems, as they help processors handle large amounts of data at high speed.
The new HBM4E product stacks Dynamic Random-Access Memory vertically and uses Samsung’s latest 1c DRAM process technology. This is the company’s sixth-generation 10-nanometer-class DRAM. Samsung also said the chip uses its 4-nanometer foundry logic base die, linking its memory and logic chip capabilities in one product line.
According to Samsung, the 12-layer HBM4E delivers more than 20% higher speed performance than its earlier HBM4 products. The company also stated that the chip offers “improved energy efficiency and thermal performance.” These features matter for AI data centers, where power use and heat control remain central to server design.
Samsung said the 12-layer HBM4E chip has 48GB of capacity. That marks an increase of more than 30% from the previous generation. The company plans to expand the lineup based on customer demand, with an 8-layer 32GB version and a 16-layer 64GB version also planned.
The product targets advanced AI accelerators used by major technology companies. HBM chips from Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron support systems linked to firms such as NVIDIA, Google, and AMD. These chips help AI processors move data quickly, which is needed for large model training and inference workloads.
Samsung had already started shipping HBM4 chips to customers in February. The HBM4E rollout came only three months later, showing the company’s push to move faster in next-generation AI memory. In April, Samsung said it planned to ship the first HBM4E samples in the second quarter.
“Through our advanced manufacturing capabilities and preemptive infrastructure investments, we will continue to drive the growth of the global AI memory market,” said Sang Joon Hwang, executive vice president and head of memory development at Samsung Electronics.
Samsung Electronics shares rose as much as 6.51% after the HBM4E update. The stock later traded 3.67% higher at 310,500 won. Meanwhile, South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI gained 2.3%, while SK Hynix shares rose 1.2% during the same trading window.
The market response also followed investor attention on Samsung’s role in AI infrastructure. Analysts said the HBM4E launch may help Samsung compete more closely with SK Hynix and Micron in advanced AI memory. Samsung has been working to regain share after entering some earlier HBM markets later than rivals.
“In the HBM market, early movers tend to secure the bulk of orders, so gaining market share in the initial stages is critical,” said Jeff Kim, head of research at KB Securities-Jefferies. He added that Samsung’s qualification progress could shift the vendor structure if the company completes customer approval for HBM4E.
Counterpoint Research data showed SK Hynix led the global HBM market with a 57% share in the fourth quarter of 2025. Samsung followed with 22%, while Micron held 21%. For now, Samsung’s latest shipment gives customers another option in the fast-growing AI memory market.
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