SK Hynix's Crucial Battle! Report: HBM4 Final Sample About to Be Delivered, Mass Production Possible This Month if It Passes Nvidia Certification

SK Hynix faces a key turning point in the HBM market.

On March 10, according to a post by Korean Citrini7 analyst Jukan on platform X, semiconductor industry sources revealed that the company will soon submit the final sample of its sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) to Nvidia. If it passes Nvidia's qualification tests, mass production purchase orders could be received as early as this month.

These samples are the result of multiple design revisions by SK Hynix since Q4 last year, aiming to meet Nvidia's maximum data transmission rate requirement of 11.7 Gb/s.

The context for this certification test is especially delicate. In February this year, Samsung Electronics took the lead in supplying some HBM4 products to Nvidia, claiming to have "started mass production shipments without any redesign," thus gaining a first-mover advantage in HBM4 commercialization. If SK Hynix fails to pass certification this time, the title of "main HBM4 supplier" may shift to Samsung.

A Final Push after Multiple Rounds of Optimization

The final HBM4 samples submitted by SK Hynix to Nvidia have undergone several rounds of optimization and iteration.

The article cites semiconductor industry sources stating that since certification testing began at the end of October last year, the two sides discovered compatibility issues between certain Rubin GPU circuits and HBM4. SK Hynix improved chip speed through enhancing circuit characteristics and reducing the gap between stacked chip layers, while Nvidia also provided assistance on multiple fronts. The problems have now been resolved.

HBM4 is the core memory component of Nvidia's next-generation AI accelerator Rubin, which is expected to be released in the second half of this year. As SK Hynix’s flagship product for 2025, HBM4 vertically stacks multiple DRAM chip layers, offering significant improvements in capacity and data transmission rates over traditional DRAM.

The core of this certification is not only "pass or fail," but also involves product binning. Nvidia categorizes HBM products into Bin 1 (high-end) and Bin 2 performance tiers. The challenge for SK Hynix is to demonstrate its technological capabilities in the final samples and increase the proportion that qualifies for the high-end Bin 1 tier.

Samsung Takes the Lead, SK Hynix Under Pressure

For several years, SK Hynix has maintained a core supplier position for Nvidia, holding over 90% market share in the AI accelerator HBM market due to its close partnership. However, with HBM4 entering the commercialization stage, this situation is being challenged.

In February, Samsung announced it had begun mass shipments of HBM4 to Nvidia, emphasizing that this was achieved without any redesign and marking a significant breakthrough in the HBM competitive landscape. In contrast, SK Hynix faced certification delays due to compatibility issues, putting its dominant HBM4 supplier status at substantial risk.

According to industry observers cited in the article, whether these final samples can pass certification will directly determine if SK Hynix can maintain its central position in Nvidia’s supply chain. Should certification fail, Samsung is likely to establish itself as the main HBM4 supplier, reshaping the landscape of the AI memory market.

Top-Level Diplomacy Ramps Up, Group Chairman Heads to GTC

At this pivotal technical juncture, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won will personally spur HBM4 sales efforts. According to sources cited in the article, Chey Tae-won will attend Nvidia’s GTC 2026 conference opening in Silicon Valley on March 16, where he is expected to meet with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang again and present a special report on SK Hynix's HBM technology capabilities.

Last month, Chey Tae-won and Jensen Huang further strengthened their partnership over "fried chicken and beer" in Silicon Valley. This trip to GTC is considered executive-level diplomatic support at a key technical certification juncture, aiming to reinforce commercial ties and facilitate mass production orders.

Breakthrough in 1c Process LPDDR6 Chip Development

In addition to the HBM4 push, SK Hynix announced today the successful development of a 16GB LPDDR6 mobile chip based on its 10nm sixth-generation (1c) process node, which is the company’s most advanced DRAM process to date.

According to SK Hynix, the new product offers more than a 33% boost in data processing speed and over 20% improvement in energy efficiency compared to the previous generation. The company plans to complete preparation for mass production in the first half of this year and start shipments in the second half. The introduction of the 1c process LPDDR6 demonstrates SK Hynix’s continued advancement in leading-edge DRAM technology and provides new support for its competitiveness in the mobile memory market.