Seoul: Samsung Electronics Co. announced it has initiated the first commercial shipment of sixth-generation high bandwidth memory (HBM), or HBM4, marking a significant milestone in artificial intelligence (AI) computing. This development positions Samsung as the pioneer in commercializing the most advanced chip in the industry.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the shipment, which occurred approximately a week earlier than anticipated, takes place amidst growing competition in the global HBM sector. Samsung's South Korean competitor, SK hynix Inc., is anticipated to make similar advancements soon, driven by the escalating demand for memory chips from the AI sector.

Samsung highlighted that this shipment enables the company to establish an "early leadership position in the HBM4 market." The company claims its products can maintain a consistent processing speed of 11.7 gigabits per second (Gbps), surpassing the industry standard of 8 Gbps. The performance of HBM4 can potentially be enhanced up to 13 Gbps, addressing data bottlenecks that arise as AI models expand in scale.

The company also noted that its HBM4 products are specifically optimized for data centers, allowing clients to maximize the performance of their graphics processing units (GPUs) while reducing server power consumption. Samsung projects that HBM sales will "more than triple" in 2026 compared to the previous year, with plans to increase its HBM4 production capacity.

Following the successful introduction of HBM4 to the market, Samsung announced plans to start sampling HBM4E in the second half of 2026. Custom HBM samples tailored to specific customer specifications are expected to be distributed starting in 2027.