Samsung Electronics Triples High Bandwidth Memory Production to Lead AI Chip Supply Through Advanced HBM4 and HBM5 Technical Roadmaps and Groq 3 Manufacturing
Samsung HBM Output Tripling Will Establish The Company As The Leading AI Memory Supplier. Samsung Electronics announced plans to boost High Bandwidth Memory HBM production by more than 300% at the GTC 2026 developer conference in San Jose. Hwang Sang jun, the Vice President of Memory Development, reported that the company is increasing production speed to fulfill the urgent needs of AI data centers while aiming to achieve a market share of more than 50% in HBM4.
Samsung will keep its manufacturing processes operating for a one year cycle which matches NVIDIA’s schedule for AI chip introductions. The current and upcoming generation roadmap includes specific hardware transitions
- HBM4 and HBM4E The 6th and 7th generation products use a 4nm process to create their base die, which serves as the core element of the memory stack.
- HBM5 and HBM5E Base die production will transition to Samsung Foundry’s 2nm process for upcoming generations.
- Core Die Stacking The HBM5 and 5E internal chips will use 10nm class 1c and 1d processes for their internal chip design.
Next generation AI architecture performance needs require these production costs to rise because they need this increase for their operational needs.
Samsung provided updates on the Groq 3 inference chip production process at the Pyeongtaek campus. The hardware will begin mass production in late Q3 and early Q4 of 2026. The Groq 3 features a unique architecture that differentiates it from standard AI processors
- On Chip Inference The die comprises 70 80% SRAM which enables fast inference to occur directly on the chip without needing external HBM resources.
- Wafer Yield The die area exceeds 700 mm² which allows the wafer to produce only 64 Groq 3 chips.
The standard wafer production range from 400 to 600 chips results in a significantly lower output than this value. Samsung will continue producing Groq 3 because their production system maintains high performance benchmark standards while completing all customer orders.
Samsung will concentrate its supply for premium products because global memory shortages have created a critical situation. This strategy requires balancing the production needs of partners who need products in high volumes with the mass production requirements of both partners. Samsung intends to synchronize its development cycle with key customers like NVIDIA to provide annual hardware refreshes that match the rapid advancements in large language models and inference engines.
Vice President Hwang confirmed that companies must spend money on advanced 2nm and 10nm class 1d processes because this technology will advance HBM development into future applications.
