Samsung Electronics has begun shipping samples of its 12-layer HBM4E high-bandwidth memory to major global customers, the company said May 29, calling it the industry's first delivery of the next-generation AI memory. The move comes just three months after Samsung started mass production of its sixth-generation HBM4 chips in February, and is aimed at clawing back ground in a market where rivals SK Hynix and Micron have surged.
The new 12-layer stack hits speeds of up to 16 gigabits per second per pin, delivers up to 3.6 terabytes per second of bandwidth and packs 48GB of capacity, more than 30% above the previous generation. It is built on Samsung's 10nm-class 1c DRAM paired with a 4nm logic base die for better thermal performance, with 32GB and 64GB versions planned. Target customers include Nvidia, AMD and Google.
Investors cheered the milestone: Samsung shares jumped as much as 6.5% on the news. Mass production will be timed to each partner's roadmap, positioning the chips for the next wave of AI accelerators.