Samsung ships faster HBM4E chip samples, shares surge 6.5%

Samsung Electronics began shipping samples of its 12-layer HBM4E memory chip to customers on May 29, 2026, pulling ahead of rivals in the race to supply next-generation components for AI data centers. Shares jumped as much as 6.5% in morning trading. The new chip is more than 20% faster than the previous HBM4 version and utilizes the company's 1c DRAM process technology alongside its 4-nanometer logic base die. The accelerated rollout, coming just three months after HBM4 sample shipments began, is seen as a critical bid to regain market share lost to SK Hynix and Micron in supplying advanced memory to Nvidia. Analysts said early movers secure the bulk of orders in the HBM market. Jeff Kim of KB Securities-Jefferies noted that if Samsung successfully qualifies HBM4E, the supplier structure could shift favorably, leveraging Samsung's manufacturing capacity.