Samsung's high-bandwidth memory revenue climbed to approximately $8.7 billion in Q3 2026, driven by demand for HBM4 chips tied to Nvidia's Vera Rubin accelerators
Samsung Electronics just had the kind of quarter memory chipmakers dream about. Its sales of HBM4, the newest generation of high-bandwidth memory, rose substantially in Q3 2026. That pushed the company past its longtime rival SK hynix in HBM revenue.
That last part matters. This is the first time during the current AI growth cycle that Samsung has out-earned SK hynix in this category.
The numbers behind the comeback
Samsung’s HBM revenue reached approximately $8.7 billion in the third quarter. That figure represents a 33% jump from the prior quarter.
SK hynix, meanwhile, posted estimated HBM sales of $7.6 billion for the same period. Its quarter-over-quarter growth came in at 11%.
The main engine was HBM4. Demand for Samsung’s latest memory came largely from Nvidia’s Vera Rubin AI accelerators.
Samsung had previously projected that its HBM4 revenue would triple sequentially in Q3. It also expected HBM4 to make up more than 60% of its total HBM revenue for the second half of 2026. The company started commercial HBM4 shipments in February 2026, so this ramp happened over a matter of months.
A profit figure that looks like a typo but is not
The memory surge showed up loudly in Samsung’s broader financials. The company’s pre-announced consolidated results for Q3 2026 showed operating profit of KRW 107.4 trillion, or approximately $81 billion.
That represents a 782.5% increase from the same quarter a year earlier.
Two forces drove that jump. Rising memory prices lifted demand-side economics across HBM, and HBM4 sales came through strongly on top of that.
These are preliminary figures. Full Q3 results have not yet been released, so the detailed breakdown by business segment is still to come.
How Samsung clawed back market share
Samsung’s share of HBM revenue reached 33% in Q2 2026. Earlier readings had placed Samsung somewhere between 15% and 21%, so the climb has been substantial.
SK hynix still held a 50% share in Q2. That is a commanding position by most standards, but it marked a decline for the company that had dominated the category.
Part of Samsung’s advantage comes from how HBM4 production is structured. Output is tied to long-term agreements with major tech corporations, which gives the company more visibility into future demand.
What this means for the AI memory race
For SK hynix, 11% sequential growth is healthy in isolation. The problem is relative. When your main rival grows 33% in the same quarter and passes you on revenue, the conversation inevitably shifts from your growth to your lost ground.
The next battleground is already forming. Both companies are working to qualify HBM4E, a newer variant designed for advanced applications.
Key things to watch include Samsung’s full Q3 results, whether HBM4 hits the projected share of more than 60% of second-half HBM revenue, and how SK hynix responds on HBM4E.
