Samsung Electronics and SK hynix on Wednesday showcased their latest high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips at a semiconductor exhibition in Seoul amid an expected showdown between the South Korean companies for the sixth-generation artificial intelligence (AI) chip market.

At the 2025 Semiconductor Exhibition (SEDEX), which kicked off earlier in the day for a three-day run in southern Seoul, both companies displayed their HBM4 chips at their booths, underscoring their confidence in leading the rapidly growing sector.

HBM, an advanced, high-performance memory chip, is a crucial component of Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs) that drive generative AI systems.

While the current market is dominated by fifth-generation HBM3E chips, industry watchers expect HBM4 to become a major factor next year, as Nvidia plans to use it in its next-generation AI accelerator, Rubin.

SK hynix, currently the leading supplier of HBM3E as part of the tripartite supply chain with Nvidia and TSMC, has completed development of HBM4 and is preparing for mass production. The company is reportedly in talks with Nvidia for large-scale supply.

For Samsung Electronics, which has long dominated the memory market but recently lost ground in HBM, the new HBM4 lineup is seen as a potential game changer to regain its competitive edge.

At a shareholders' meeting in March, Jun Young-hyun, head of the semiconductor division at Samsung Electronics, vowed to stay on schedule with the development and mass production of HBM4 products to avoid repeating the company's previous setback in the HBM3E market.

According to a recent report by researching firm Counterpoint Research, SK hynix led the HBM market in the second quarter in terms of shipments with a share of 62 percent, followed by Micron Technology Inc. with 21 percent and Samsung Electronics with 17 percent.

By: DocMemory
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