Samsung Electronics and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) announced on Wednesday that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen their strategic partnership in supplying memory chips for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure.
The agreement focuses on Samsung providing its next-generation high-bandwidth memory, known as HBM4, for AMD’s upcoming Instinct MI455X AI accelerators. In addition, Samsung will supply optimized DDR5 memory for AMD’s sixth-generation EPYC processors, according to a joint statement from the companies.
Samsung and AMD expand AI memory collaboration
As part of the deal, Samsung aims to establish itself as a key supplier of HBM4 for AMD’s next-generation AI GPUs. The South Korean tech giant is already a major supplier of high-bandwidth memory to AMD, currently providing HBM3E chips used in AMD’s MI350X and MI355X accelerators.
The partnership reflects growing demand for advanced memory solutions as artificial intelligence continues to drive innovation across the semiconductor industry.
Potential foundry partnership under discussion
Beyond memory supply, Samsung and AMD are also exploring opportunities for a foundry partnership. This could see Samsung offering contract chip manufacturing services for AMD’s future semiconductor products, further deepening ties between the two companies.
The announcement comes during the same week as Nvidia’s annual GTC developer conference. During the event, CEO Jensen Huang revealed a separate foundry collaboration with Samsung and highlighted the company’s progress in HBM4 technology.
AI boom fuels competition in semiconductor industry
The Samsung-AMD agreement underscores the intensifying competition among global chipmakers to secure long-term supply deals for advanced memory. The rapid expansion of AI technologies has significantly increased demand for HBM chips, tightening supply across the market.
AMD has recently strengthened its position in the AI space through major supply agreements. The company disclosed last month that it plans to sell up to $60 billion worth of AI chips to Meta Platforms over the next five years. A similar agreement was also signed with OpenAI in the previous year.
Samsung aims to close gap in HBM market
Samsung Electronics, currently the world’s largest memory chip manufacturer, is working to narrow the gap with competitors in the high-bandwidth memory segment. The company holds approximately 22% of the global HBM market, while industry leader SK Hynix commands around 57%, according to data from Counterpoint.
As AI-driven demand continues to grow, Samsung’s partnership with AMD could play a crucial role in strengthening its position in the rapidly evolving semiconductor landscape.
