Samsung's high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips have reportedly failed Nvidia's tests due to heat and power consumption issues. These HBM3 chips were tested for use inside Nvidia's AI accelerators. Their failure has raised considerable doubts regarding their performance.
Samsung's HBM3 chips continue to fail Nvidia's tests
According to an exclusive report from Reuters, Samsung's HBM3 chips are yet to pass Nvidia's tests. This means they aren't certified to be used inside Nvidia's AI accelerators. The heat and power consumption issues seen in HBM3 chips are also said to be affecting the South Korean firm's HBM3E chips that it showcased a few months ago.
The results of Samsung's 8-layer and 12-layer HBM3E chips came in April 2024. While Samsung's HBM3 chips are still failing, reports claim that SK Hynix started supplying HBM3E chips to Nvidia in March 2024.
While there have been reports of Samsung's HBM3 chips failing Nvidia's tests, the reason for their failure has been reported for the first time. And it is exactly the reason that many industry insiders expected. Samsung revealed to Reuters that HBM chips require “optimization in tandem with customers' needs” and is working closely with its clients for further optimizations. The company has been working over the past year to get its chips to pass Nvidia's tests.
HBM memory chips are critical for the functioning of AI chips, and SK Hynix is Nvidia's biggest supplier of HBM chips. Nvidia captures an 80% share of the AI market, so Samsung must get Nvidia's certification to have any meaningful business in the HBM market.
AI accelerators are used for the functioning of all AI features seen in consumer electronic devices today. You can watch one such feature called Note Assist in our video below.
Can Samsung solve its HBM issues?
It isn't clear if heat and power consumption-related issues seen in Samsung's HBM3 and HBM3E chips can be solved immediately. However, Samsung recently replaced the head of its Device Solutions business and brought back an old expert who had played a key role in DRAM and NAND flash development in the past.
The South Korean firm hopes that these issues will be solved and that it will start mass production of HBM3E chips before the end of the year's second quarter. It is already supplying HBM chips to AMD.
AMD and Nvidia want Samsung to solve HBM issues to get a stable supply of HBM chips from at least two vendors to keep the price down. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang signed Samsung's HBM3E 12H (12-layer) memory chip at the GTX AI 2024 conference and wrote “Jensen Approved” on the chip.
