[News] Samsung Reportedly Stumbles Again on NVIDIA’s 12-Hi HBM3E Validation, Retest Set for September

As Micron—the key rival in the race to win NVIDIA’s HBM orders—announced it has shipped its first 12-layer HBM4 samples, Samsung reportedly stumbled in its third attempt to pass NVIDIA’s HBM3E 12-layer validation in June. According to Business Post citing securities analysts, the company now aims for a retest in September.

Though Deal Site previously indicated that that Samsung’s 12-layer HBM3E has passed NVIDIA’s bare-die certification in May, the product still needed to undergo full-package verification. SR Times, on the other hand, suggests that Samsung has been submitting its 8-layer and 12-layer HBM3E for NVIDIA’s testing since the second half of last year.

With Samsung’s 12-layer HBM3E still awaiting NVIDIA’s approval, the reports suggest that hitting its target for mass production in Q4 remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, Micron appears to be making steady progress, with HBM3E yields reportedly hitting around 75% for the 8-layer version and 70% for the 12-layer, according to Business Post.

With Samsung’s HBM certification facing repeated setbacks, experts cited by SR Times suggest the company may need to overhaul its design—or shift focus to customers beyond NVIDIA.

According to a Sedaily report in late March, Samsung is likely to supply its 8-layer HBM3E to Broadcom soon. Sources cited by the report said Samsung recently performed well in Broadcom’s HBM3E 8-layer qualification test, meeting speed requirements and moving closer to its supply chain.

Read more

• [News] U.S. Halts NVIDIA H20 Export Curbs, with Samsung Reportedly Seeking to Rejoin 8H HBM3e Supply
• [News] Samsung Reportedly Nears NVIDIA HBM3E Approval, But Order Outlook Remains in Doubt

(Photo credit: Samsung)