Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.(OTC:SSNLF) has declared its intention to mass-produce the pioneering 5th generation HBM3E chip in the second quarter. This follows a prosperous first quarter, during which the company invested $82.07 billion (KRW 11.3 trillion).
What Happened: Samsung's first-quarter facility investment totaled KRW 11.3 trillion. Of this, semiconductors and displays accounted for KRW 9.7 trillion and KRW 1.1 trillion respectively, reported Chosun, a Korean portal. The company also unveiled plans to mass-produce its 5th generation HBM3E chip in the second quarter. This chip is a first in the industry, capable of stacking DRAM chips up to 12 layers.
In February, Samsung announced the successful development of the HBM3E, which offers more advantages for expanding the capacity of AI semiconductors than the existing 8-layer HBM3E. This is primarily because increasing the DRAM capacity in AI semiconductors enhances learning efficiency.
There is a high level of anticipation for Nvidia supply, especially after Nvidia(NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang left his 'Jensen Approved' signature on Samsung's HBM3E product last month. However, it is projected that the second quarter mass-produced product will be installed on AMD's new AI accelerator 'Instinct MI350'.
Why It Matters: With the growing demand for AI semiconductors, Samsung's plans to increase supply and expand HBM production capacity are timely. The company is aiming to maximize the production capacity of the industry-first developed HBM3E 12-layer product, as the demand for high-capacity products continues to rise.