Global semiconductor giant Samsung Electronics recently announced a major organizational restructuring, disbanding its high bandwidth memory (HBM) special development team that had only been established for one year, and integrating the team's personnel and overall business into the design team of the DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) development department. Adjustment details: Smooth transition of personnel and business. According to multiple media reports, this adjustment marks Samsung's HBM business returning from an independent "special attack team" model to the mainstream research and development system of storage chips. Samsung Electronics stated that this move aims to optimize resource allocation, enhance synergies between HBM and core DRAM products, and improve overall operational efficiency and competitiveness.
Samsung Electronics urgently established an independent HBM development team in July 2024. At that time, Samsung was clearly lagging behind its main competitor SK Hynix in the rapidly growing HBM market, and the establishment of this team was seen as a key measure to concentrate resources and accelerate technological catch-up. HBM is a core component in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) servers and high-performance computing, and market demand has exploded with the AI wave. According to the adjustment plan, all members of the original HBM development team will be transferred to the design team under the DRAM development department. Son Young soo, the Vice President (EVP) who previously led the HBM team, has been appointed as the head of this design team and will continue to lead the original team in advancing the research and development of the next generation of HBM products.
Despite the change in team organization, the core research and development tasks, including the development of cutting-edge technologies such as HBM4 and HBM4E, will remain continuous. Industry analysis indicates that this restructuring reflects a change in Samsung's assessment of the development stage of its HBM technology. After more than a year of concentrated research and development, Samsung believes that its HBM technology has gained core competitiveness and no longer needs to "make up for shortcomings" in the form of an independent team. Instead, it is shifting towards deeper integration with basic DRAM technology to strengthen long-term technological advantages. This move is also interpreted as Samsung having full confidence in the upcoming next-generation HBM products, such as HBM4. Market impact: Consolidating position and catching up with market share. Market data shows that in the second quarter of this year, Samsung's market share in the global HBM market fell to 17%, ranking third, far behind SK Hynix, which holds 62% market share. However, with Samsung's HBM3E successfully entering Nvidia's supply chain and all HBM4 product orders sold out, the company is optimistic about its market performance next year. Samsung's Executive Vice President of Storage Business, Kim Jae joon, revealed during a recent earnings conference: 'Compared to this year, we have significantly increased our HBM production capacity for next year, but customer demand still exceeds supply.'. The company expects that as the supply scale of HBM4 gradually expands, its market share will steadily rebound from next year. Market research firm TrendForce predicts that Samsung's market share in the global HBM market is expected to exceed 30% by 2026. It is worth noting that this organizational adjustment coincides with the global storage market entering a super cycle. According to supply chain sources, the price of DDR5 16Gb chips increased by as much as 102% in October, while Counterpoint Research predicts that by the second quarter of 2026, memory module prices will rise by 50% compared to the current level. While consolidating the traditional DRAM market, Samsung continues to lay out its high-end HBM product line, demonstrating its dual track strategy of "bread and the future".
At present, Samsung has a strong foundation in DRAM production capacity and order fulfillment. In the HBM field, its HBM3E product has achieved mass production and been delivered to customers such as Nvidia and AMD, and orders for the next generation HBM4 have also been sold out. Although Samsung ranked third in global HBM market share in the second quarter of this year, behind SK Hynix and Micron, market research firm TrendForce predicts that with the expansion of HBM4 supply, Samsung's market share is expected to exceed 30% by 2026. This organizational adjustment is Samsung's strategic layout to more effectively integrate internal resources, seize market opportunities, and achieve market share growth. The Korean Economic Daily reported that Samsung's HBM4 product is rapidly expanding its market share and benefiting from a 56% annual increase in standard DRAM prices, resulting in a significant increase in overall storage revenue; In addition to the rebound in storage prices, the price of NAND Flash has also rebounded, which will help improve the overall gross profit structure. It is reported that Samsung Electronics plans to complete the organizational restructuring this week and is expected to hold a global strategic meeting in early December to review next year's business plans.
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