“Semiconductors Are a Team Sport,” Lisa Su Says: HBM4 Collaboration with Samsung and SK hynix, Tens of Billions in Global Investment

AMD Holds Press Conference at Gamer Day
"Begins Shipping HBM4-Equipped MI455 AI Chips"
Discusses Five-Year Long-Term Plans with Partners, Beyond Short-Term Supply Arrangements

AMD Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lisa Su reaffirmed the company’s strong ties with Korean memory semiconductor companies, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Su confirmed that AMD’s next-generation lineup of artificial intelligence (AI) accelerators features sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4), and said the company plans to build long-term supply chain relationships of more than five years with key Korean partners.

At a press conference after the “AMD Gamer Day” event at the Seoul Dragon City Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on October 7, Su said, “Semiconductors are a team sport. That means there is an enormous amount of collaboration,” adding, “During this visit to Korea, I met with SK hynix officials, and I am also scheduled to meet with representatives from Samsung Electronics.”

AMD CEO Lisa Su speaks at a press conference following the AMD Gamer Day event at Seoul Dragon City Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 7th. Photo by Kim Jinyoung

Su disclosed that AMD had begun shipping its next-generation AI accelerators, the “MI455” and “Helios,” equipped with HBM4. “AMD has already begun shipping its next-generation MI455 and Helios systems, and both are HBM4 systems,” she said, emphasizing that “this is thanks to the tremendous support we have received from both Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.”

Asked about memory supply shortages and plans to invest in the global supply chain, Su again underscored the importance of Korea’s ecosystem. “Because supply chains have become extremely complex, it is very important to discuss medium- and long-term partnerships with our partners that look beyond simple one-to-three-year plans and extend more than five years into the future,” she said. “Samsung and SK hynix are key partners in our supply chain.”

Asked to compare the scale of investment in Korea with that in other regions, such as Taiwan, Su said, “AMD will make investments totaling tens of billions of dollars across its global supply chain.” She added, “Our overall business in Korea is already very substantial, thanks to memory, and we are strengthening cooperation in a range of areas, including wafers, packaging, memory, and system components.”

She also offered a positive outlook on expanding cooperation with Samsung Electronics in foundry services (contract semiconductor manufacturing). “AMD has grown significantly in the foundry sector over the past several years, so it is very important to build a broad footprint across the supply chain,” Su said. “Samsung is a great partner in many areas, and we continue to explore opportunities not only in memory but also across foundry services.”

(Left) AMD CEO Lisa Su and AMD Senior Vice President Jack Huynh take part in a Q&A session at the AMD Gamer Day event held at the Seoul Dragon City Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 7th. Photo by Kim Jinyoung

In addition to securing its memory supply chain, AMD signaled its intention to expand its ecosystem in Korea by working with local AI startups and universities. Su met with a vice minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and representatives of Korean AI startups that day.

“What makes Korea special is that it brings together outstanding talent across its supply chain, universities, startups, and large companies,” Su said. “We are working with innovative startups such as Upstage, MangoBoost, and Moreh, and have met with many companies that want to join AMD’s open ecosystem.” She added, “We are confident Korea will become an outstanding hub for AI development, so we will establish an ‘AI Center of Excellence’ in Korea and significantly expand our engagement with startups and universities.”

Earlier that morning, Su held a roundtable at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, with the Ministry of Science and ICT and Korean AI semiconductor companies. She then met that afternoon with Kwak Noh-jung, CEO and President of SK hynix. After the AMD Gamer Day event, she is scheduled to meet with senior executives at Samsung Electronics’ Seocho office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, including Jun Young-hyun, Vice Chairman and Head of Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions (DS) Division. After completing her schedule, Su will return to the United States this evening.

Meanwhile, Jack Huynh, AMD Senior Vice President, who also attended the event, presented the company’s roadmap for improving the gaming experience through machine learning technology. He said AMD would apply machine learning technology to accelerated processing units (APUs), which integrate central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs), by the end of this year, and would later extend it to handheld devices more broadly. “AMD Gamer Day” is an event organized by AMD to meet directly with Korea’s gaming community, share the latest gaming technologies and vision, and hear from gamers.

The scene at the 'AMD Gamer Day' event held at Seoul Dragon City Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 7th. Photo by Kim Jinyoung.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.