Samsung Electronics has announced it has begun mass production of High Bandwidth Memory 4 (HBM4) and has shipped commercial products to customers. Samsung says the HBM4 ramp uses its sixth-generation 10 nm-class DRAM process (1c) and a 4 nm logic base die to target higher performance, reliability, and energy efficiency for next-generation data center AI systems.
Samsung reports HBM4 delivers a consistent pin speed of 11.7 Gbps, with capability up to 13 Gbps. The company says this exceeds an 8 Gbps industry standard by about 46%, and represents a 1.22x increase over the maximum 9.6 Gbps pin speed of HBM3E. Samsung also reports per-stack memory bandwidth increases by 2.7x versus HBM3E, to a maximum of 3.3 TB/s.
For capacity scaling, Samsung says it offers HBM4 using 12-layer stacking in 24 GB to 36 GB configurations, and plans to add 16-layer stacking to reach up to 48 GB. To address the power and thermal impact of doubling data input and outputs from 1,024 to 2,048 pins, Samsung says it integrated low-power design solutions into the core die. The company reports a 40% improvement in power efficiency via low-voltage through-silicon via (TSV) technology and power distribution network (PDN) optimization, along with 10% better thermal resistance and 30% higher heat dissipation versus HBM3E.
Samsung attributes production readiness to stable yields achieved using its 1c DRAM process “without any additional redesigns,” and says it has “one of the largest DRAM production capacities” plus dedicated infrastructure to support supply. Samsung also describes Design Technology Co-Optimization (DTCO) between its foundry and memory groups, and says in-house advanced packaging supports streamlined production cycles and reduced lead times.
Samsung says it is expanding technical partnerships with “global GPU manufacturers and hyperscalers focused on next-generation ASIC development.” It also reports it expects HBM sales to more than triple in 2026 compared to 2025, will expand HBM4 production capacity, expects HBM4E sampling to begin in the second half of 2026, and says custom HBM samples will reach customers in 2027 based on customer specifications.
Source: Samsung Electronics
