Samsung Sees Major Drop in HBM Market, But Future Prospects Shine

Samsung is trying hard to gain a foothold in the growing HBM market, but continues to face setbacks. This was clearly reflected in its Q2 2025 performance, as the company’s market share dropped to just 17%. However, industry analysts expect the firm may bounce back after it steps into Nvidia’s supply chain and introduces next-generation HBM chips.

Samsung faced setbacks in the HBM market in Q2 2025, but may recover next year

Memory makers are competing with each other to secure deals with major clients for their HBM solutions. However, Samsung failed to take full advantage of the initial AI boom, losing ground to SK Hynix and Micron. According to data from Counterpoint Research, SK Hynix led the global HBM market in Q2 2025 with a 62% share in terms of shipments. Micron secured the second spot with 21%, while Samsung came in third (last) with a 17% share.

While the two Korean companies accounted for nearly 80% of shipments, Samsung’s lower share shows that it is struggling to catch up with SK Hynix. The main reason is that its 12-layer HBM3E products had not cleared quality tests from Nvidia during that period. However, several reports now confirm that Samsung has received the certification from the GPU maker, allowing it to begin shipments. The company will reportedly make an official announcement at the end of this month.

As a result, Samsung’s share in the HBM segment should improve in the coming quarter, narrowing the gap with SK Hynix and Micron. Meanwhile, the firm is also developing its 6th-generation HBM4 chips with plans to start mass production next year. It aims to begin supplying these chips to Nvidia in the second quarter of 2026. If this pans out, research firms expect Samsung’s market share to exceed 30% in 2026.

Meanwhile, Chinese companies are also trying to enter the HBM market. CXMT is working on HBM3 products, but it has yet to fix issues like operating speed and heat generation. Huawei has also developed its own HBM, but its performance is lower than that of general HBM products. So, as of now, Chinese firms are not a major threat to the three suppliers in the HBM segment.