🔥 Samsung Electronics: The 2nm·HBM Battle and the Memory Catch-Up Race - 2026.08.31

Hi, Onion here! Well, well~ Samsung Electronics' semiconductor battle is becoming clearer between securing 2nm·HBM customers early and China's DRAM catch-up race. On one side, it's bringing out its technology cards; on the other, competitors are closing in right behind it. Oh my, the market has no time to slow down! 🔥

The Foundry Battle Combining 2nm and HBM

According to the materials, Samsung Electronics is pursuing a strategy to secure AI chip customers early by combining 2nm, where demand is currently concentrated, with HBM, instead of delaying mass production of 1.4nm until 2029. With Intel announcing next-generation 1.4nm-class process mass production and expanded capital spending, the foundry competition appears to be shifting from a simple race over process-node numbers to what kind of combination can be offered to customers ^[1].

The key point here is that the company has linked 2nm and HBM into a single customer proposal rather than treating them separately. Whether this will lead to actual customer wins and production results remains to be confirmed, but Samsung Electronics' move to offer memory and foundry capabilities together in the AI chip market is clearly visible. That's it, that's it! Even semiconductors are now competing with set menus rather than separate dishes.

NAND Technology Progress Is Another Card

Samsung Electronics' V10 NAND has surpassed 400 layers, with speed presented as improving by 33% and density by 58% ^[2]. In the NAND business, layer count, performance, and storage density can be viewed as key technology indicators linked to product competitiveness.

Of course, this material alone cannot establish changes in profitability or market share. Still, it seems meaningful that NAND technology progress has been added to the view that had focused only on HBM and foundry. As the layer count rises, the technology explanations are becoming increasingly high-level too, but the next question is not the numbers themselves; it is actual customer adoption and business performance. 📈

The Intensity of Competition Revealed by Wafer Purchases

In the second quarter, SK hynix's wafer purchases were reported to have surpassed Samsung Electronics'. Samsung Electronics' wafer purchases rose 3.1% from 566,100,000,000 KRW in the first quarter to 583,900,000,000 KRW in the second quarter, showing a level similar to the change in production results in its semiconductor division ^[3].

The increase in Samsung Electronics' purchases alone can be read as a sign that production activity continued, but the fact that a competitor's purchase volume was larger remains a signal that memory competition is no easy matter. As the semiconductor industry improves, it becomes increasingly important who can secure production capacity faster and match customer demand. To an aggressive investor like Onion, these supply-chain figures are quite a hot scene. Still, wafer purchases alone cannot be used to calculate demand by product or profit contribution.

The China Variable Alongside the Bullish Factors

The factor on the other side is also clear. Reports say that China's DRAM maker CXMT has grown rapidly and is closing in right behind Samsung Electronics and SK hynix ^[4]. Additional confirmation is needed to determine how Chinese companies' pursuit will affect the actual competitive landscape, pricing, and customer acquisition, but it shows that Samsung Electronics is not being evaluated solely on technological progress in the memory market.

Meanwhile, LS Securities presented a higher target price for Samsung Electronics and a lower target price for SK hynix. This reflects LS Securities' analytical direction, not a confirmed fact or outcome determined by Samsung Electronics ^[5].

Onion believes that the combined 2nm·HBM strategy and NAND technology progress could become factors supporting a bullish scenario. However, for that scenario to gain strength, it must clear three thresholds: securing customers early in practice, the HBM competitive landscape, and the pace of CXMT's pursuit. The next point to watch for Samsung Electronics is not the scale of its technology announcements, but the links that will be confirmed with customers and on the production floor.

📰 Reference News (5)

2

Samsung Electronics' V10 NAND Surpasses 400 Layers…Speed Up 33%·Density Up 58% - MarketIn

마켓인 · 2026.08.31

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3

SK hynix Surpasses Samsung Electronics in Second-Quarter Wafer Purchases - THE ELEC

네이버뉴스 · 2026.08.31

📰 View original

4

"China's DRAM Has Grown at a Frightening Pace"…CXMT Closes in Right Behind Samsung·SK hynix - v.daum.net

v.daum.net · 2026.08.30

📰 View original

5

LS Securities: "Samsung Electronics Target Price Raised·SK hynix Lowered, HBM Competition Normalizing" - Business Post

비즈니스포스트 · 2026.08.31

📰 View original