Samsung Pushes HBM Expansion and Long-Term Supply Deals at Global Strategy Meeting

There’s a quiet tension rippling through the memory chip business right now — AI models are hungrier than ever, and the supply of the high-bandwidth memory they feed on is tightening fast. Samsung Electronics, having just clawed back the top spot in the DRAM market, isn’t waiting around.

IT-NEWS, June 22 — Samsung Electronics held its annual global strategy meeting over three days from June 18 to 20, with a central focus on expanding sales of high-bandwidth memory and advancing its strategy of securing long-term supply agreements with major customers, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.

The global strategy meeting is a fixture on Samsung’s calendar, convening every June and December. Regional division heads from around the world attend to assess the state of each business unit and recalibrate marketing strategy.

On June 18, the Device Solutions division, led by vice chairman Jeon Young-hyun, held its own strategy session. The discussion drilled into customer-specific supply plans spanning HBM3E — the current fifth-generation standard — through to the sixth and seventh generations, HBM4 and HBM4E.

The mood inside the meeting was reportedly buoyant, and for good reason. A full-blown semiconductor super-cycle is underway, stoked by a collision of memory shortages and surging AI demand. Samsung has also reclaimed the number-one position in the DRAM market, adding a layer of confidence to the proceedings.

The meeting also put a spotlight on a strategy Samsung has been quietly building since the start of the year: locking in long-term supply pacts with the world’s largest technology firms. As memory shortages worsen, major customers are increasingly pressing for guaranteed allocation, making these agreements one of the most consequential items on the agenda.

Samsung had already telegraphed its intent. During its first-quarter earnings call earlier this year, the company noted, “At the request of major customers, we are actively pursuing long-term supply agreements for memory products and have already completed signing with some customers.”