You might have heard NVIDIA’s CEO, Jensen Huang, publicly sing praises for Samsung’s memory innovations. However, behind closed doors, things are not as rosy as they seem.
Recent news from a South Korean media source has uncovered some friction in the relationship between Samsung and NVIDIA. Last September, Huang openly criticized Samsung regarding their collaboration on High Bandwidth Memory (HBM). He expressed concerns about trust with Samsung’s top management.
NVIDIA isn’t just another employee of Samsung; they’re a client. Huang reportedly told Samsung to stop the constant calls and demands, emphasizing that he lacked confidence in Samsung’s HBM products and their engineers.
The issues continued into 2024. An NVIDIA staff member shared their frustration with Samsung’s approach, pointing out a perceived lack of professionalism and transparency. Later, in November, NVIDIA officials visited Samsung’s HBM production site in Cheonan and left with sharp criticisms.
Despite these private disputes, back in March 2024, Huang gave a nod to Samsung’s new 12-layer HBM3E, publicly labeling it as “JENSEN APPROVED.” However, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2025, his comments hinted at lingering doubts, stating, “Samsung has definitely made strides in HBM.”
Yet, Samsung’s HBM3E still hasn’t fully met NVIDIA’s standards. Samsung’s memory team is back at the drawing board, tweaking designs and aiming to pass NVIDIA’s rigorous tests.
It’s clear that Huang leans towards TSMC for business dealings, especially as Taiwan advances in building an AI ecosystem. For Korean firms like Samsung to stay competitive, they must develop AI technologies that are not just good, but undeniable in their excellence to attract and retain business from companies like NVIDIA.
The article has finally been published.
It is reported that NVIDIA’s CEO, Jensen Huang, made the following remarks to Samsung Semiconductor’s executives last September:
“NVIDIA is a customer of Samsung Electronics, not its employee. Stop calling to ask questions and make…
— Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) January 29, 2025
