Key Points:
- Samsung and AMD expanded their partnership for AI memory chip supplies.
- Samsung will provide HBM4 for AMD’s next-gen AI accelerators.
- They are also discussing a potential foundry partnership for chip manufacturing.
- The deal reflects the intense competition and demand for advanced memory in the AI sector.
Samsung Electronics and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) recently announced a new agreement to strengthen their partnership in supplying memory chips for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. This move shows how important it is for chipmakers to secure long-term deals for advanced memory, as the AI boom continues to transform the semiconductor industry.
The new agreement focuses on Samsung providing its next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) for AMD’s upcoming Instinct MI455X AI accelerators. Samsung will also supply optimized DDR5 memory for AMD’s sixth-generation EPYC processors. This officially makes Samsung a main HBM4 supplier for AMD’s future AI graphics processing units (GPUs). Samsung already supplies HBM3E chips for AMD’s current MI350X and MI355X accelerators.
Beyond memory chips, the two companies will also discuss a potential foundry partnership. This means Samsung could manufacture chips for AMD’s next-generation products, expanding their collaboration even further.
This partnership comes at a busy time for the chip industry. Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, recently spoke at the GTC developer conference, where he also mentioned a foundry partnership with a Korean firm and praised their HBM4 chips. This highlights the intense competition and strategic alliances forming in the advanced memory market due to high AI demand.
AMD has been very active in securing major deals for its AI chips. Last month, they agreed to sell up to $60 billion worth of AI chips to Meta Platforms over five years. They also signed a similar deal with OpenAI last year, showing the strong market demand for their AI solutions.
Samsung, the world’s largest memory chipmaker, is working to increase its share in the rapidly growing HBM market. While SK Hynix currently leads with about 57% of the global HBM market, Samsung holds around 22%, and this expanded partnership with AMD could help them close that gap.
