Samsung to More Than Double HBM4/HBM4E Output in 2027
Original: Samsung is expected to more than double output of its HBM4 and HBM4E DRAM
Why This Matters
A 2x+ surge in next-gen HBM output positions Samsung to compete directly with SK Hynix for premium AI chip supply.
Samsung Electronics plans to more than double production of its HBM4 and HBM4E chips next year, scaling monthly HBM capacity to ~250,000 wafers and glass carrier outsourcing to 50,000 sheets/month, up 2.5x from 2026's 20,000, per semiconductor industry sources.
Samsung Electronics is on track to dramatically scale its sixth-generation HBM4 and seventh-generation HBM4E memory output in 2027. Industry sources cited by Seoul Economic Daily report that outsourced glass carrier cleaning volume — a key process indicator for HBM production — will jump from 20,000 sheets per month this year to 50,000 next year. Glass carriers temporarily support wafers during the thinning and drilling stages essential to high-stack HBM manufacturing. With requirements at just 10,000 sheets/month last year, demand has already doubled in 2026 and is set to rise 2.5x again.
Overall HBM production capacity is projected to grow roughly 40%, from ~180,000 wafers per month this year to ~250,000 in 2027. More telling is the product mix shift: HBM4-family chips (HBM4 and HBM4E) are expected to climb from ~40% of shipments in 2026 to ~80% next year as HBM4E mass production ramps. Samsung began mass-production shipments of 12-layer HBM4 in February and shared HBM4E samples with customers including Nvidia in May. The HBM4 line uses 1c (10nm-class) DRAM paired with a 4nm-process base die. "As Samsung expands HBM production, it appears to be placing HBM4, a high-value product, at the center," one industry official told the outlet.