Samsung Electronics overtook SK hynix in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) revenue in the third quarter of 2026, as sales of its HBM4 chips — the newest generation of high-bandwidth memory — rose substantially on demand tied to Nvidia's Vera Rubin AI accelerators.

The shift marks the first time during the current AI growth cycle that Samsung has out-earned its longtime rival in the HBM category. The two South Korean chipmakers have competed for leadership since HBM became central to AI computing hardware, and SK hynix had held the revenue lead for most of that period. HBM itself is a high-speed memory format used alongside AI accelerators, where stacked memory dies deliver the high bandwidth that AI workloads require, and it has become one of the most closely watched segments of the semiconductor industry as demand for AI computing infrastructure has surged.

The Numbers Behind the Comeback

Samsung's HBM revenue reached approximately $8.7 billion in the third quarter, a 33% increase from the prior quarter. SK hynix, by comparison, posted estimated HBM sales of $7.6 billion for the same period, with quarter-over-quarter growth of 11%. The estimates put the two rivals roughly $1.1 billion apart, with the lead now on Samsung's side of the ledger.

The main engine behind Samsung's result was HBM4. Demand for the company's latest memory came largely from Nvidia's Vera Rubin AI accelerators.

Samsung had previously projected that its HBM4 revenue would triple sequentially in the third quarter. It also expected HBM4 to make up more than 60% of its total HBM revenue in the second half of 2026 — a share that, if reached, would make the newest generation the majority of its HBM mix within the first year of commercial shipments. The company began commercial HBM4 shipments in February 2026, which means the ramp occurred over a matter of months.

Operating Profit Up 782.5% Year Over Year

The memory surge was equally visible in Samsung's broader financials. According to the company's pre-announced consolidated results for Q3 2026, operating profit reached KRW 107.4 trillion, or approximately $81 billion. That represents a 782.5% increase from the same quarter a year earlier.

Two forces drove the jump: rising memory prices lifted demand-side economics across the HBM business, and HBM4 sales came through strongly on top of that.

The figures remain preliminary. Samsung has not yet released its full Q3 results, so the detailed breakdown by business segment is still to come. When the full results arrive, they will show how much each business segment contributed to the total.

How Samsung Clawed Back Market Share

The quarterly revenue crossover follows a broader shift in market share. Samsung's share of HBM revenue reached 33% in Q2 2026, a substantial climb from earlier readings that had placed the company somewhere between 15% and 21%.

SK hynix still held a 50% share in Q2 — a commanding position by most standards, but a decline for the company that had dominated the category.

Part of Samsung's advantage stems from how HBM4 production is structured. Output is tied to long-term agreements with major technology corporations, an arrangement that gives the company greater visibility into future demand — a meaningful cushion in a memory business long defined by cyclical price swings.

The Next Phase of the AI Memory Race

For SK hynix, 11% sequential growth is healthy in isolation. The problem is relative: when a main rival grows 33% in the same quarter and passes it on revenue, the conversation inevitably shifts from growth to lost ground.

The next battleground is already forming. Both companies are working to qualify HBM4E, a newer variant of high-bandwidth memory designed for advanced applications. Qualification is the testing and approval process customers run before a supplier's memory can move into volume production.

Key developments to watch include Samsung's full Q3 results, whether HBM4 hits the projected share of more than 60% of second-half HBM revenue, and how SK hynix responds on HBM4E.

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This article is based on reporting by CryptoBriefing, edited by Diego Almada Lopez, published October 28, 2026. Source: Samsung overtakes SK hynix in HBM revenue as HBM4 sales surge in Q3