Samsung hits 52-week high after reports of Nvidia HBM3E approval

Sep 22 - Samsung Electronics (SSNLF) climbed after local outlets reported Nvidia (NVDA) qualified Samsung's 12-layer HBM3E memory for use in AI accelerators.

The Korea Exchange pushed the stock to its highest level since August 2024 on the news. Market participants say the qualification opens a clearer path for Samsung to supply high-bandwidth memory to accelerator makers powering models from ChatGPT to DeepSeek, and it tightens competition with SK Hynix (HXSCF) in the premium memory market.

Traders also point to forecasts of next-year commodity memory shortages, which help explain roughly a 20% gain for Samsung on the KRX this month; U.S.-listed OTC shares show about a 4% year-to-date rise.

Analysts caution that qualification alone does not guarantee immediate contracts; Samsung still must prove production yields, hit target pricing and secure final customer approvals before large shipments begin.

Investors should treat the report as a technical milestone that removes one hurdle to scale rather than as a completed commercial win.

The next clear signals to monitor include formal purchase orders, yield improvement announcements and public validation from major accelerator customers. Short-term market reaction may still remain volatile.