Nvidia greenlights Samsung’s HBM3 chips for use in Chinese market
The supply may begin as early as August.
Samsung’s high bandwidth memory chips HBM3 have been approved by Nvidia for use in its AI processors, specifically for the H20 chip developed for the Chinese market, in compliance with the US export controls. Samsung may begin supplying these chips to Nvidia starting in August.
Despite Samsung being one of the world’s largest memory chip manufacturers, it still needed help to get Nvidia to certify its HBM chips. It is still being determined if Nvidia will use Samsung’s HBM3 chips in its other AI processors or if further testing is required. Meanwhile, Samsung’s fifth-generation HBM3E chips are still being tested to meet Nvidia’s standards.
Why does it matter?
AI chips require large amounts of high-speed memory, and HBM is a type of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) with a uniquely stacked memory chip design, which provides the necessary speed and capacity. Although HBM was introduced in 2013, its demand has risen drastically with the AI boom in recent years. Currently, only Micron, Samsung, SK Hynix manufacture HBM chips, and Nvidia have already certified HBM3 chips from Micron and SK Hynix, but there remains a shortage. Thus, Nvidia’s decision to approve Samsung’s HBM3 chips enables Nvidia to expand its supply chain and meet the deficit demand.
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