Samsung plans to regain its position in the AI memory market by offering HBM4 at a price 20–30% higher than HBM3E.

New HBM‑memory round: Samsung tries to catch up with SK hynix

In the face of growing demand for memory for AI applications, SK hynix has opened a “gold mine” by launching HBM3E modules. For the largest memory manufacturer, Samsung Electronics, this became an impetus to act quickly and regain its leading position in the HBM4 segment.

How Samsung plans to act

Recently the company announced the start of deliveries of 4th‑generation HBM modules to first customers. According to Business Korea (citing industry sources), Samsung intends to sell HBM4 at a price roughly 20–30 % higher than that of HBM3E. This should allow it to increase revenue from this segment more than threefold in the current year compared with last year.

Impact of price dynamics

If one takes into account forecasts for DRAM price growth (in this quarter they could rise another 80–90 % compared with the previous period), Samsung’s production scale will not only boost revenue but also significantly improve profitability. However, rising memory costs will bring its own correlates: the company’s smartphones will start to become more expensive.

Forcast for Galaxy

According to expectations, the price of flagship Galaxy 26 devices that will be unveiled next week could rise by $68 to $137 solely due to pricier memory. The Galaxy S26 Ultra model with 512 GB internal storage could potentially cost around $1,380.

Problems for the smartphone business

KB Securities analysts predict that if Samsung Electronics’ DS (semiconductor manufacturing) division can increase operating profit almost sixfold this year compared with the expected $17.2 billion, the smartphone production business may lose part of its profit: from $8.9 trillion to $5.1 trillion. This is because higher memory prices directly affect device cost and their final price for consumers.