A late-night meeting between Samsung’s Jay Y. Lee and Nvidia Corp's (NASDAQ:NVDA, ETR:NVD) Jensen Huang over fried chicken and beer has signalled a new phase in the global race for AI memory dominance.
Samsung confirmed it is in “close discussion” with Nvidia to supply its forthcoming HBM4 chips, a key component in high-performance AI processors.
The South Korean group plans to launch the new generation next year, hoping to close the gap with rival SK Hynix, which will begin HBM4 shipments later this year.
Nvidia, already sourcing HBM3E chips from Samsung, said the companies are in a “key supply collaboration” covering both chip versions.
Samsung will also buy 50,000 Nvidia GPUs to power an AI-driven semiconductor plant aimed at improving chip yields.
Shares jumped 3.95% after the twin announcements, reflecting optimism that the company could finally claw back share in the lucrative AI-memory market.
Analysts said success with HBM4 could restore Samsung’s leadership after a slow start to the AI boom and mark its biggest advance in next-generation memory in more than a decade.