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Samsung Begins Shipping HBM4 Chips to Boost AI Position

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Samsung Electronics said it has started shipping its most advanced high-bandwidth memory chips, HBM4, as it seeks to close the gap with rivals in supplying critical components for artificial intelligence accelerators.

Demand for high-performance memory has surged amid the global buildout of AI data centers. HBM chips are essential for feeding large volumes of data into AI accelerators, including those developed by Nvidia. Samsung has previously trailed competitors such as SK Hynix in delivering earlier-generation HBM products.

Samsung said its HBM4 chips deliver a consistent processing speed of 11.7 gigabits per second, a 22% improvement over its HBM3E predecessor, with peak speeds reaching 13 Gbps to address growing data bottlenecks. The company added that it plans to provide samples of next-generation HBM4E chips in the second half of the year.

Shares of Samsung rose following the announcement, reflecting investor optimism about its efforts to regain momentum in the competitive AI memory market. SK Hynix, which has maintained a leading position in HBM production, has said it aims to preserve its strong market share as competition intensifies. Meanwhile, U.S.-based Micron Technology has also begun high-volume production and customer shipments of HBM4.

The rollout underscores intensifying competition among memory manufacturers as AI infrastructure expansion continues to drive demand for faster, more efficient chip technologies.

US Lawmakers Urge Tighter Curbs on China Chip Tools

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U.S. lawmakers are pressing for stricter export controls to limit China’s access to advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, warning that existing gaps pose risks to national security. In a bipartisan letter, senior members of the House called on the State and Commerce Departments to pursue broader, countrywide restrictions in coordination with allied nations.

House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast urged tighter controls on key chipmaking tools and subcomponents that China cannot produce domestically. The letter was addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and called for restrictions not only on new equipment sales but also on servicing existing tools operating in Chinese facilities.

Lawmakers argue that maintenance and software updates are critical for advanced chipmaking systems to remain operational, and limiting such support could slow China’s semiconductor progress. The request comes amid concerns that Beijing is accelerating imports of foreign-made equipment essential for producing high-end chips.

The debate has intensified following reports that Chinese researchers have developed a prototype lithography machine modeled on extreme ultraviolet systems produced by ASML. EUV lithography tools are considered crucial for manufacturing the most advanced chips used in artificial intelligence, smartphones, and defense systems.

Congressional leaders have asked the administration to provide a strategy briefing within a month outlining how it plans to secure allied cooperation on expanded export controls. The move reflects growing bipartisan consensus in Washington that semiconductor supply chains remain a central front in U.S.–China technological competition.

SiTime Tech Could Be Used in Billions of Renesas Chips

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SiTime’s technology could ultimately be embedded in billions of chips made by Japan’s Renesas, SiTime’s chief executive said, following a landmark acquisition deal between the two firms. SiTime shares surged nearly 18% after the company announced a transaction worth up to $3.2 billion to acquire timing assets from Renesas.

SiTime expects the acquired assets to generate about $300 million in revenue in the first year after the deal closes, anticipated by the end of 2026—nearly doubling the company’s fiscal 2025 sales. The agreement also brings Renesas CEO Hidetoshi Shibata onto SiTime’s board and includes plans for Renesas to integrate SiTime’s timing technology into its chips.

At the center of the deal is SiTime’s resonator technology, which is smaller and more resilient to temperature changes than traditional solutions. That makes it especially suitable for automotive applications, a core market for Renesas microcontrollers. SiTime CEO Rajesh Vashist said the collaboration could result in the first microcontrollers that require no external timing components.

While revenue impact will take time due to design, qualification, and production cycles, Vashist said the scale could be vast. If widely adopted across Renesas products, the technology could be integrated into billions of chips over the coming years, marking a major expansion opportunity for SiTime.