Rumor

Samsung HBM4 reportedly passes Google TPU qualification, securing 2026 supply contract with Broadcom for half of its annual HBM capacity.

Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at 10:24 PM

Samsung Electronics has reportedly passed the qualification test for its HBM4 memory to be used in Google's next-generation Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) and finalized a supply contract with Broadcom for 2026. The deal for HBM4 and HBM3E is estimated to be over three times the current volume and is said to cover half of Samsung's annual HBM capacity.

Context

Samsung Electronics has secured a significant HBM4 supply contract for Google's next-generation Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), passing final quality verification. This deal, finalized with Broadcom for 2026 supply, is crucial as Broadcom manages procurement for Google's TPU. The agreement reportedly secures more than three times the HBM volume compared to this year and represents half of Samsung's annual HBM production capacity. This positions Samsung strongly in the rapidly expanding AI chip market, with Google TPU shipments projected to grow from 1.5-2 million units this year to 8-9 million by 2028. The successful qualification for Google's HBM4 is a key step for Samsung to potentially regain HBM market leadership, especially with expectations of imminent Nvidia HBM4 qualification within December. While Broadcom sought a longer-term commitment, Samsung only confirmed 2026 volume, possibly due to existing Nvidia GPU supply obligations. Investor sentiment has shown renewed interest, with foreign investors net buying ~500 billion KRW in early December, following mixed activity in prior months.