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Samsung Electronics needs 'new design' for HBM to pass Nvidia test: Huang

Published: 08 Jan. 2025, 04:34 Updated: 08 Jan. 2025, 16:48

JIN EUN-SOO
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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks to reporters during a press conference on Jan. 7 at a hotel in Las Vegas as part of the sideline event for the CES 2025. [JIN EUN-SOO]

LAS VEGAS — Samsung Electronics "has to engineer a new design" to pass Nvidia's verification test for its high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Tuesday.

"[Samsung Electronics] has to engineer a new design, but they can do it, and they are working very fast," Huang told reporters during a CES 2025 press Q&A session in Las Vegas.

"Korea is very impatient, which is good. Samsung actually created the first HBM that Nvidia ever used. They will recover," he added.

When asked why Nvidia deployed Micron's GDDR7 chips for its newest GeForce RTX50 series, unveiled the previous day, instead of chips from Samsung or SK hynix, Huang responded, "I don't know exactly why. It's probably nothing important."

Huang explicitly named Micron the supplier of the advanced memory chip for its newest graphic card onstage, raising speculation that he has decided to side with Micron to form a U.S. alliance for chips in the face of a second Donald Trump administration.

Huang has been maintaining a positive outlook on Samsung's HBM3E chip approval since last year. In March 2024, he stated that Samsung's HBM chips were in the "qualification" process and called the company "extraordinary." In November, Huang mentioned at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology that Nvidia was working as fast as possible to certify Samsung's advanced AI memory chips.

However, Samsung has yet to receive official verification from Nvidia for its eight-layer and 12-layer HBM3E chips. The slower-than-expected approval process has frustrated investors, prompting Samsung's chip division leader, Jun Young-hyun, to issue an unprecedented apology acknowledging the company's failure to secure a technological edge.

This delay has allowed SK hynix, Samsung's rival, to become Nvidia's primary supplier of HBM3E chips. SK hynix is already supplying eight-layer and 12-layer HBM3E chips to Nvidia and showcased the world's first 16-layer HBM3E chips at CES 2025.

Huang delivered the opening keynote speech at CES 2025 on Monday, marking his first appearance at the event in six years since 2019.

"Our technology impacts the future of consumer electronics," Huang said. "So they were excited to invite us."

The CEO hinted at a possible meetup with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, who is also paying a visit to the show.

He said he is "looking forward" to meeting Chey when asked if he has any plan to meet the Korean business scion. The two have had a close business relationship, with Chey posting a photo of the two when he visited Nvidia's Silicon Valley headquarters last year.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [[email protected]]