Samsung Hikes HBM3E Prices More Than 50% Amid AI Demand

Samsung has reportedly increased prices for its HBM3E memory chips yet again. Just recently, it was rumored that Samsung was raising prices by 20%, due to the approval of Nvidia’s H200 exports. However, a new report from Korea alleges that Samsung is increasing HBM3E memory chip prices by as much as 50%.

HBM3E prices surge 50% as Samsung renegotiates contracts

As reported by Seoul Economic Daily, Samsung has raised prices for its latest HBM3E chips by more than 50% when renewing supply contracts with customers. A 12-layer HBM3E chip that previously sold for around $300 is now being priced close to $500. This shows how tight supply has become. In some cases, new customers are reportedly facing even higher prices to secure volumes.

HBM plays a crucial role in AI accelerators because it delivers extremely fast data transfer. It keeps power consumption relatively low. As companies such as OpenAI, Google, xAI, and others roll out increasingly capable AI models, demand for high-performance memory has surged alongside demand for GPUs.

The problem for suppliers is that HBM is not easy to scale. These chips are made by stacking multiple DRAM layers, a complex manufacturing process with lower yields than conventional memory. Even though Samsung is working to increase output — including converting some NAND flash production lines to DRAM — supply cannot be expanded overnight.

Recent policy developments have added further pressure. Approval for certain AI accelerators to be shipped to China has boosted demand for HBM3E, since those chips rely heavily on high-bandwidth memory. As a result, prices for both 12-layer and lower-stack variants are rising.

Samsung plans to begin mass production of its next-generation HBM4 memory in February 2026. However, industry analysts expect tight supply conditions to persist until then, especially as AI investment continues to accelerate worldwide. So the bottomline is, Samsung looks to make a lot of money going forward.