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According to reports, Samsung Electronics (SSNLF.US) has significantly increased the yield of its sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) from below 60% at the start of mass production to approximately 80%, achieving ahead of schedule the year-end target previously set by the company. Industry sources refer to an 80% yield as the 'golden yield,' and this breakthrough marks a critical step forward for Samsung in terms of HBM4 profitability and large-scale supply capabilities.
In February this year, Samsung became the first globally to begin mass production and shipment of HBM4, though initial yields were below 60%. Following approximately six months of process optimization, yields have rapidly stabilized. According to industry sources cited in the report, Samsung originally aimed to reach an 80% yield by the end of 2026, but progress is now clearly ahead of schedule.
Regarding the reasons behind the yield improvement, the report notes that Samsung’s enhancements to its thermocompression non-conductive film (TC-NCF) process played a crucial role. Other analysts emphasized that improved yields of the 1c DRAM base chips used in HBM4 also contributed significantly.
With the achievement of the 'golden yield,' expectations for Samsung’s capacity expansion and earnings improvement have strengthened considerably. The company explicitly stated that HBM4 revenue will more than triple quarter-over-quarter in the third quarter, and HBM4 will account for over 60% of Samsung’s total HBM revenue in the second half of the year. In terms of market share, Samsung has set a year-end target of approximately 38% for the HBM segment, aligning it with its share in the broader DRAM market.
Analysts believe that expanded HBM4 output will not only robustly support production of NVIDIA’s (NVDA.US) next-generation AI accelerator, Vera Rubin, but also help major customers like NVIDIA diversify their supply chains and reduce overreliance on a single supplier.
Lee Jong-hwan, Professor of System Semiconductor Engineering at Soongsil University in South Korea, noted that from the perspective of major clients such as NVIDIA, supply chain diversification clearly offers advantages over dependence on a single supplier. If Samsung can fully leverage the opportunity presented by scaling up HBM4 supply, it stands to swiftly solidify its market leadership position.
Notably, Samsung’s rival SK hynix (SKHY.US) is also making rapid progress on HBM4. According to industry estimates, SK hynix’s HBM4 yield has also reached approximately 80%. Leveraging its accumulated mass production experience across multiple generations of HBM products and its proprietary advanced mold reflow underfill (MR-MUF) technology, SK hynix is widely expected to smoothly ramp up capacity in the second half of the year.
[https://news.futunn.com/en/post/77427333/samsung-has-surpassed-the-80-yield-threshold-for-its-hbm4?level=1&data\_ticket=1786472780935558](https://news.futunn.com/en/post/77427333/samsung-has-surpassed-the-80-yield-threshold-for-its-hbm4?level=1&data_ticket=1786472780935558)