[News] SK hynix’s HBM4 Lead Shrinks as Rivals Close Gap Ahead of 2026 Shakeup

According to Aju Daily, SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won notes that with the arrival of HBM4, the competitive landscape is set to shift, as that by 2026, the market will likely become more competitive and diversified.

As the report highlights, SK hynix became the first company globally to deliver a 12-layer HBM4 sample to NVIDIA in March. However, that lead is narrowing, as Micron provided a sample with comparable performance just three months later.

In addition, the report notes that Samsung Electronics is expected to begin supplying its own 12-layer HBM4 samples to customers such as NVIDIA and AMD later this month.

While Samsung may be slightly behind in terms of timing, the report notes that it is the only company developing HBM4 using a sixth-generation 10nm-class (1c) DRAM process. As noted by SEDaily, industry sources indicated that Samsung has achieved yields of 50–70% in performance testing of its sixth-generation 10nm-class DRAM wafers.

Both Samsung and SK hynix are expected to begin full-scale mass production of HBM4 in the second half of this year, with intense competition anticipated to start in 2026, according to Aju Daily.

HBM Prices Might Fall as Competition Heats Up

Meanwhile, Aju Daily notes that as more suppliers enter the HBM market, NVIDIA is gaining greater leverage to influence HBM4 pricing for its next-generation “Rubin” GPUs, expected to launch next year. The same dynamic applies to AMD, which is set to release its MI400 series in 2025, the report adds.

In this context, according to Aju Daily, Goldman Sachs forecasts a 10% decline in HBM prices next year due to intensified competition.

TrendForce observes that with current HBM production improving as yield rates steadily rise across suppliers, price cuts on mature products seem likely. However, the focus next year will be on HBM4, which is still undergoing qualification —making it too early to call the competitive winners. Considering the release of next-gen HBM, overall average HBM prices are still expected to trend upward, according to TrendForce.

Read more

• [News] HBM Prices Reportedly Face Double-digit Drop Risks in 2026, Posing Challenges for SK hynix
• [News] Samsung’s 1c DRAM Yields Reportedly Reach up to 70%, Paving Way for HBM4 by Year-end

(Photo credit: SK hynix)