A single quarter reshaped the high-bandwidth memory market. Counterpoint’s second-quarter scorecard, released September 3, credits Samsung Electronics with 33 percent of HBM revenue, twelve points better than its first-quarter showing. SK hynix kept the lead at 50 percent, and Micron slipped three points to 18 percent.
The gap between the top two suppliers narrowed from 37 points to 17 in one quarter, and delivery timing explains most of the swing. Samsung started shipping its newest memory generation in February, ahead of both rivals. HBM4 is the part built for Nvidia’s Vera Rubin systems. Within four months of the first shipments, Samsung’s HBM revenue had passed the $1B mark. SK hynix entered the HBM4 race later and defended its crown on HBM3E volume alone.
Analysts caution that the current rankings still rest on HBM3E. Counterpoint says HBM4 will only become a meaningful revenue driver in the second half, when Samsung, SK hynix and Micron all compete for Nvidia’s orders. Samsung’s early production run has given it a head start on the yield learning curve, which is what makes the coming quarters the real test.
The battle is already moving the broader DRAM table. Samsung kept the overall lead with a 38 percent share helped by commodity memory, while SK hynix at 25 percent and Micron at 24 percent watch Chinese rival CXMT climb past 10 percent. With HBM4 priced well above the previous generation, the second half shapes up as a three-way fight over Nvidia’s next accelerators.
