On October 22, 2025, at the Seoul Semiconductor Exhibition, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix took center stage to unveil their latest HBM4 chips. This move has significantly heated up the competition in the sixth-generation AI chip market.

HBM4 serves as a pivotal component in GPUs that power generative AI systems. It leverages multi-layer DRAM vertical stacking and 3D packaging technology. This innovative approach enables it to achieve a remarkable data bandwidth of 2TB/s while substantially cutting down on power consumption.

SK Hynix has already wrapped up the development phase and kicked off mass production. At present, it's actively engaged in negotiations with NVIDIA to secure large-scale supply agreements. On the flip side, Samsung is focused on boosting performance by employing 1c nanometer-scale processes. Moreover, the company has plans to channel investments into expanding production at its Pyeongtaek P4 plant and Hwaseong 17 production line.

Currently, HBM3E holds sway over the market. However, industry experts predict that HBM4 will take the lead and become the mainstream choice by 2026. This shift is expected to fuel innovations across the realms of AI, deep learning, and high-performance computing.