AMD’s Su engages Samsung chief over memory supplies

Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su met with Samsung Electronics' top semiconductor executives in Seoul, seeking enhanced cooperation on memory and manufacturing amid persistent supply constraints caused by artificial intelligence demand. During a visit to South Korea, Su spoke with Samsung's vice chairman and CEO of Device Solutions, Young Hyun Jun, focusing on high-bandwidth memory, broader DRAM supplies, and potential foundry collaboration.

Su emphasized AMD's ongoing exploration of opportunities with both Samsung and SK Hynix, describing them as critical partners for AMD's data-center ambitions. She urged memory producers to increase capacity as swiftly as possible to support AMD's expansion. AMD faces challenges in expanding due to supply shortages across various memory categories, with high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, experiencing a surge in demand due to AI accelerators requiring substantially greater memory bandwidth.

AMD expects AI computing demand to remain elevated for several years, planning to significantly increase chip supply in 2027. Su revealed that AMD had extended its capacity-planning horizon from one or two years to between three and five years to accommodate advanced wafers, packaging, substrates, and memory. Samsung already plays a significant role in AMD's supply plans, having signed a memorandum of understanding in March to collaborate on next-generation AI memory and computing technologies.

Samsung is designated a primary HBM4 supplier for AMD's Instinct MI455X graphics processor, and the agreement also covers advanced DRAM products for AMD's sixth-generation EPYC processors and Helios rack-scale AI platform. HBM4 is crucial for the next generation of AI hardware, as more powerful accelerators demand faster transfers of massive datasets while managing energy consumption.

Memory manufacturers have increasingly invested in HBM, causing capacity pressures in other memory categories. While AMD and Samsung have a memorandum of understanding for potential foundry partnership, Su mentioned that AMD was continuing to explore this opportunity without announcing a manufacturing contract.