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The arms race in the world of artificial intelligence has just reached a new level. AMD's CEO, Lisa Su, flew to Korea to negotiate with Samsung in person. The result is... an official partnership that aims to provide AMD with access to the fastest memory in the world. While the press release expresses optimism... industry observers believe that AMD must work hard to catch up with Nvidia, which has already secured a lion's share of production.
The Fight for "Fuel" for AI: HBM4 Memory
For artificial intelligence to be able to "think" quickly, it needs gigantic data bandwidth. This is where the new HBM4 memory from Samsung comes into play. It's a technology that can transfer data at a speed of 3.3 terabytes per second. For the average Joe, this is an almost unimaginable value. It's like transferring thousands of 4K quality movies in the blink of an eye.
AMD needs these chips for its upcoming graphics processors Instinct MI455X, which will power the supercomputers of the future. The problem is that Nvidia (AMD's main rival) was first in line and has already secured supplies of HBM4 for its own chips. Therefore, AMD had to act quickly to avoid being left empty-handed at a time when the AI market is simply consuming every available amount of memory.
Samsung may start making chips for AMD
The most intriguing aspect of this agreement is hidden between the lines. As suggested by technology outlets like the Korean site Chosun Biz, the deal may go far beyond just memory chips. Samsung likely used its strong negotiating position to persuade AMD to... manufacture processors in its factories.
Until now, AMD has mainly relied on Taiwan's TSMC, but since the production lines there are booked for years by other partners, collaboration with Samsung Foundry may be AMD's only chance to meet release deadlines. For Samsung, this is a huge success – after contracts with Nvidia, Tesla, and Apple, acquiring AMD as a client for their factories cements their position as a viable alternative to Taiwan's TSMC.
