Broadcom received a $200 billion order from Samsung for advanced AI networking and semiconductor components.
Broadcom and memory chip giant Samsung Electronics have announced a five-year agreement valued at over $200 billion, under which Broadcom will purchase various chips from Samsung. Though this represents capital outflow rather than inflow, the deal offers strategic advantages for Broadcom by locking in supply of critical components needed to capitalize on AI chip demand.
The agreement comprises two primary components. The first involves memory, where "Samsung and Broadcom plan to pursue a strategic collaboration for the supply of industry-leading memory solutions, including High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), supporting Broadcom's next-generation AI accelerators." HBM is essential within AI accelerators, and this deal addresses a severe shortage affecting the broader market. The company expects its AI semiconductor revenue to grow by more than 200% year-over-year to $16 billion, with 10 gigawatts of data center commitments from large language model developers potentially paving the way toward $200 billion in AI semiconductor revenue in 2027 or beyond. However, HBM remains non-negotiable; without it, the vast majority of Broadcom's AI opportunity could evaporate, particularly given NVIDIA's massive HBM purchases.
The multi-year agreement may also insulate Broadcom from HBM price volatility. Memory prices have seen dramatic upward swings, with HBM prices reportedly increasing by 20% in Q1 alone. The deal could potentially cap future increases and help prevent margin contraction. This mirrors NVIDIA's strategy: the company recently entered a $500 billion deal with SK hynix that "allows NVIDIA to secure a stable supply of next-generation AI memory," including a two-gigawatt data center deployment.
The second component involves Samsung's foundry capabilities, where the collaboration "focuses on Samsung's 2-nanometer (nm) and below process technologies for Broadcom's products, including Wireless Broadband Communications (WBC) solutions. The collaboration is expected to extend to advanced packaging technologies built on Samsung's 2nm process, including 2.3D and 2.5D integration, to enable higher-performance and more power-efficient AI and networking silicon." The wireless broadband piece likely relates to Broadcom's $30 billion Apple deal for wireless chip supply, but the advanced packaging portion carries AI significance. Advanced packaging combines HBM with computing components and is critical for building advanced AI chips. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing has dominated this market, but faces significant supply constraints, making Samsung an attractive alternative if its capabilities prove adequate.