Samsung HBM4 memory sent to NVIDIA 'passes' required tests, mass production is now imminent

Samsung Electronics has reportedly had its next-gen HBM4 memory samples have passed NVIDIA's qualification tests to be used inside of its AI GPUs.

In a new report from SEdaily picked up by insider @Jukanrosleve on X, we're hearing that the semiconductor industry said that Samsung's new HBM4 memory samples provided to NVIDIA in their initial prototype and quality tests, and will now enter the "Pre-Production (PP)" stage at the end of this month (August 2025).

A key industry insider said: "It received positive evaluations regarding quality, including yield, and has entered the PP stage for mass-production testing", adding "If it passes PP, mass production will be possible in November-December". This is the final stage before large-scale semiconductor production, with the HBM4 prototype that Samsung provided last month being an "engineering sample" for simple operational tests.

HBM4 will be used on NVIDIA's next-generation "Rubin" AI GPUs, where right now SK hynix currently exclusively supplies HBM to NVIDIA, with the company supplying HBM4 samples to the company in March 2025, and the last batch of HBM4 in June, with mass production expected in October. If Samsung passes the all-important PP stage, the company could kick off mass production in November, and very quickly close the gap with its South Korean rival.

If Samsung can supply both its 12-layer HBM3E and its next-gen HBM4 to NVIDIA, it will completely change the landscape of the AI memory market in 2026. In the first half of 2025, Samsung saw its HBM market share falling down to just 17% down from 41% in 2024. In that same period of time, SK hynix saw its HBM market share rise from 55% to 62%, while US memory maker Micron saw its HBM market share leap from 4% to 21%.