NVIDIA CEO says he can't trust Samsung's HBM products or engineers, won't do business with them

NVIDIA is distancing itself from Samsung and its HBM memory, with CEO Jensen Huang saying the company "can't trust Samsung Electronics' High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) products and engineers".

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In a new report from Korean outlet Hankyung, which reports that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said in front of Samsung executives: "is a customer of Samsung Electronics, not an employee. Stop calling and asking questions. I can't trust Samsung Electronics' high-bandwidth memory (HBM) products and engineers. We cannot trust and do business with them because senior executives change frequently".

However, even just weeks ago at CES 2025, NVIDIA said "there is no doubt about the success of Samsung Electronics' HBM". Samsung has been struggling to get its HBM3E memory off the ground -- well, out of the semiconductor fabs, you know what I mean -- with NVIDIA reportedly working "as fast as it can" to have Samsung's new HBM3E memory certified to use on its world-leading AI GPUs.

• Read more: Samsung HBM3E supply to NVIDIA is 'realistically impossible' in 2024, now 2025
• Read more: NVIDIA working 'as fast as it can' to get Samsung HBM3E certified
• Read more: NVIDIA still hasn't signed with Samsung HBM, but needs the company for interposers on AI GPUs

The outlet continues, adding that "Jensen Huang, who had negative feelings toward Samsung Electronics, may have intentionally taken these actions". Whatever happens next, either we see Samsung rise out of the ashes and provide NVIDIA with HBM3E that is approved for use with their AI chips, or not... and if not, NVIDIA will solely rely on HBM partners SK hynix (which it does heavily now for HBM) and US-based Micron.