Core Viewpoint - The U.S. storage sector stocks experienced a significant surge, driven by SK Hynix's successful negotiations with NVIDIA regarding the pricing of the sixth-generation high bandwidth memory (HBM4), which increased by over 50% to approximately $560 per unit [1] Group 1: Stock Performance - Major storage stocks such as Seagate Technology (STX.US) and SanDisk (SNDK.US) rose by over 9%, while Micron Technology (MU.US) increased by nearly 8%, and Western Digital (WDC.US) saw a rise of over 5% [1] Group 2: SK Hynix's Market Position - SK Hynix has strengthened its dominant position in the high-end storage chip market by successfully negotiating a price increase for HBM4, which is expected to lead to a record operating profit of over 70 trillion Korean Won next year [1] Group 3: Pricing Dynamics - Initially, NVIDIA resisted the significant price hike due to potential competition from Samsung and Micron, but ultimately agreed to the price set by SK Hynix at approximately $560 per unit [1] - A SK Hynix executive indicated that advancements in technology and increased input costs justified the substantial price increase for HBM4 [1]

Core Viewpoint - SK Hynix has confirmed its position as the leading supplier in the HBM market, with a price increase of over 50% for its sixth-generation high bandwidth memory (HBM4) compared to the previous generation (HBM3E) [1] Group 1: Company Developments - SK Hynix successfully completed negotiations with Nvidia for HBM4 supply for next year, paving the way for record-breaking performance [1] - The company delivered the world's first 12-layer stacked HBM4 samples to Nvidia in March, and began initial shipments in June after receiving positive evaluations [1] - Ongoing price negotiations for HBM4 required for Nvidia's next-generation AI chip "Rubin," set to be released in the second half of next year [1]

Core Insights - Samsung Electronics is preparing for final quality testing of NVIDIA's sixth-generation High Bandwidth Memory (HBM4), with its foundry division ramping up production of the logic chips that serve as the "brain" of HBM [1][2] - The logic chips for HBM4 will utilize advanced process technology, with Samsung's foundry achieving over 90% yield for 4nm process logic chips, indicating readiness for mass production [2][3] - The transition to HBM4 marks a significant shift in performance requirements, with the introduction of customized HBM expected to begin with HBM4E, necessitating tailored circuit designs based on customer needs [3][4] Summary by Sections HBM4 Production and Testing - Samsung's foundry division is fully supporting the production of logic chips for HBM4, aligning with the storage division's increased HBM4 output [1] - The foundry is increasing the wafer input for logic chips and aims to maximize yield to establish a stable production system [1] Logic Chip Technology and Yield - The logic chips for HBM4 are critical components that connect stacked DRAM with GPUs in AI semiconductors, providing power supply and data signal control [2] - The yield for 4nm process logic chips has surpassed 90%, meaning that more than 9 out of 10 chips produced are qualified, demonstrating a stable technology for large-scale production [2][3] Industry Trends and Future Outlook - The semiconductor industry is witnessing a shift towards advanced process technologies, with Samsung's 4nm process entering a mature stage and achieving an overall yield exceeding 80% [3] - The upcoming HBM4E is expected to usher in a "customized HBM" era, where HBM development will be optimized based on specific AI semiconductor applications [3][4] - The importance of foundry process technology is anticipated to increase in the next generation of HBM products, as Samsung aims to address previous product shortcomings [4]