Samsung Starts Shipping Industry-First HBM4E Samples 3 Months After HBM4 Ramp; Performance Up 20%+

　　Just months after rolling out HBM4 shipments in early 2026, Samsung has begun providing samples of the industry’s first 12-layer HBM4E to major global partners, according to the company’s latest press release.

　　Given that HBM4 shares the same 1c DRAM process and 4nm base die architecture as HBM4E, and is already in mass production, industry observers suggest the newly shipped HBM4E samples are also well positioned to transition into mass production. Samsung adds that it plans to proceed with HBM4E mass production in line with client-specific timelines.

　　Meanwhile, Samsung is also expanding mass production and supply of HBM4, which became the world’s first HBM4 to enter mass production and shipment in February. In December last year, Samsung’s HBM4 received top-tier evaluation after demonstrating an industry-leading 11.7Gbps speed in System-in-Package (SiP) testing, the final certification stage, the company adds.

　　According to News1, the latest development makes Samsung the first to supply HBM4E. Industry observers cited by the report also noted that starting from HBM4, customer-specific design flexibility and stable large-scale supply capabilities will become even more critical. Against this backdrop, Samsung’s integrated strengths across memory, foundry, and advanced packaging are expected to stand out even more clearly, the report adds.

　　HBM4E Upgrade with 20% Performance Boost, 30% Higher Capacity

　　In terms of performance, Samsung notes that HBM4E marks a notable upgrade over the previous generation, offering a stable 14Gbps pin speed that can scale up to 16Gbps for more demanding AI workloads. Compared with HBM4, the new memory delivers over 20% higher performance and reaches bandwidth of up to 3.6TB/s per stack, significantly improving compute efficiency for large language models (LLMs) and next-generation AI systems.

　　Additionally, Samsung’s 12-layer HBM4E is currently offered in a 48GB capacity, which is more than 30% higher than the previous generation. The company plans to expand the lineup to include 32GB (8-layer) and 64GB (16-layer) variants to better align with diverse customer requirements as well.

　　From an efficiency standpoint, Samsung highlights that advanced low-power design techniques and an optimized packaging architecture have improved energy efficiency by 16% while reducing thermal resistance by more than 14% compared with the previous generation.

　　HBM4E Progress Among Rivals

　　Meanwhile, progress from SK hynix and Micron in HBM4E has come under closer market scrutiny following Samsung’s advances. According to Yonhap News Agency, SK hynix had initially planned to begin HBM4E sample shipments in the second half of this year, but recent reports indicate smoother-than-expected development progress, bringing forward its timeline.

　　On the other hand, Micron said its first HBM4E product will follow JEDEC standards, with mass production ramp-up targeted for 2027, according to STOCK Analysis.