On February 19, 2026, reports confirmed that Samsung Electronics has secured a strategic position in Nvidia’s “high-performance tier” for its upcoming Vera Rubin AI accelerators.
While not an “exclusive” supply deal for the entire platform, Samsung has reportedly been selected as the dominant supplier for the top-tier “premium bin” of Nvidia’s next-generation HBM4 (High Bandwidth Memory). This marks a major comeback for Samsung, which previously trailed its rival SK Hynix in the HBM3E cycle.
The “Dual-Binning” Strategy
To manage the global memory shortage and performance demands, Nvidia is adopting a two-tier strategy for its Vera Rubin chips, scheduled for release in the second half of 2026.
| Tier | Supplier Focus | Performance Spec |
| Premium Bin | Samsung Electronics | 11.7 Gbps to 13 Gbps (Ultra-High Speed) |
| Standard Bin | SK Hynix & Micron | ~10 Gbps (Industry Standard) |
Samsung’s Technical Edge: HBM4
Samsung’s HBM4 is the first in the industry to use sixth-generation 10nm-class (1c) DRAM and a 4nm logic base die. This combination allows for:
- Massive Bandwidth: A processing speed of 11.7 Gbps, which is 46% faster than the JEDEC baseline (8 Gbps).
- Thermal Efficiency: A 30% improvement in heat dissipation compared to HBM3E, a critical factor for AI servers running at maximum capacity.
- Pricing Power: Samsung is reportedly negotiating a price of $700 per unit for its premium HBM4—nearly 30% higher than the previous generation.
Strategic Partnership: The “AI Megafactory”
The supply deal is just one pillar of a broader alliance. On February 15, 2026, Nvidia and Samsung announced plans to build a “Global AI Megafactory.”
- Digital Twin Manufacturing: Samsung is using Nvidia Omniverse to build virtual replicas (digital twins) of its semiconductor fabs to optimize production yields and predictive maintenance.
- GPU-Accelerated Design: Samsung is integrating the Nvidia cuLitho library to accelerate computational lithography, achieving 20x performance gains in chip manufacturing.
- Autonomous Robotics: More than 50,000 Nvidia GPUs will power Samsung’s AI-driven production lines, aiming for fully autonomous “lights-out” fab environments.
Market Impact
Following the news, Samsung Electronics’ shares surged over 5% to reach a fresh record high on the Korea Exchange. Analysts from Morgan Stanley have forecasted that Samsung could post a record operating profit of $189 billion in 2026, driven by this high-margin AI memory business.
“With performance capabilities now outweighing pure production volume, Samsung has regained its pricing leverage at the premium end of the AI market.” — Saxo Markets Analyst Report, Feb 19, 2026.
