TLDR
- Samsung and SK Hynix secured exclusive contracts to provide HBM4 memory for Nvidia’s Vera Rubin AI accelerator platform
- Micron was excluded from the Vera Rubin flagship supply chain, resulting in MU shares falling 6.74%
- Samsung successfully cleared Nvidia’s HBM4 quality benchmarks at both 10 Gbps and 11 Gbps speeds; SK Hynix continues testing for 11 Gbps approval
- By 2026, SK Hynix is projected to deliver more than 50% of Nvidia’s HBM requirements; Samsung’s allocation increases to 28%
- Manufacturing is scheduled to commence in March, with Vera Rubin systems launching during H2 2026
According to Korea Economic Daily, Nvidia has designated Samsung and SK Hynix as the sole providers of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) for the Vera Rubin AI accelerator platform. Notably absent from this flagship chip cycle is Micron, which previously served as an important HBM supplier.
The announcement triggered significant market reactions. Micron shares plummeted 6.74% during trading. Samsung’s Korean-listed shares declined 7.81%, while SK Hynix experienced a 9.52% drop. Even Nvidia saw its stock decrease 3.01%.
Serving as Nvidia’s next flagship AI platform, Vera Rubin represents the successor to the Blackwell architecture. The complete NVL72 rack system combines 72 Rubin GPUs with 36 Vera CPUs, achieving 10x superior performance-per-watt compared to Blackwell.
The exclusion isn’t total for Micron. The company will provide HBM4 memory for Rubin CPX, a mid-range accelerator focused on inference tasks within the Rubin family. However, it won’t participate in supplying the premium Vera Rubin product line.
Samsung received approval following successful completion of Nvidia’s rigorous quality assessments at 10 Gbps and 11 Gbps performance levels. SK Hynix continues working toward meeting the 11 Gbps standard but maintains its position as the leading HBM supplier globally.
SK Hynix Leads, Samsung Gains Ground
Projections indicate SK Hynix will command approximately 50% of worldwide HBM production in 2026, representing a modest decline from its 59% share in 2025. Samsung is anticipated to expand its market presence to 28%, rising from 20% the previous year.
SK Hynix is forecast to deliver over half of Nvidia’s complete HBM requirements — encompassing HBM3E — throughout 2026, and is positioned to dominate Vera Rubin HBM4 volume shipments.
Both manufacturers are slated to initiate HBM4 production this month. The Vera Rubin platform remains scheduled for a second-half 2026 release.
What Vera Rubin Is Built For
The Vera Rubin architecture targets large-scale AI training and inference workloads, particularly the mixture-of-experts (MoE) model architectures gaining traction in cutting-edge AI development.
Reported potential buyers include Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, and Google. These hyperscale cloud providers have consistently represented Nvidia’s largest customer base in recent years.
While the Vera Rubin NVL72 consumes twice the power of Blackwell systems, it delivers significantly enhanced efficiency per watt, a critical consideration for data center operators managing these platforms at enterprise scale.
HBM4 provides increased memory bandwidth versus earlier generations, addressing one of the primary constraints in training and executing large-scale AI models.
Wall Street maintains an optimistic outlook on Nvidia. TipRanks data shows NVDA holds a Strong Buy consensus from 39 analysts, with one Hold rating. The consensus price target of $272.16 suggests approximately 53% upside potential from current trading levels.
Throughout the past year, Nvidia stock has appreciated 66.2%, despite Monday’s decline following the supplier announcement.
Samsung and SK Hynix are positioned to launch HBM4 production in March 2026, with Vera Rubin hardware shipments anticipated during the latter half of the year.
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