SEOUL, June 18 (Reuters) - SK Hynix said on

Thursday it has shipped samples of its latesthigh-bandwidth

memory (HBM) chips to major customers, as the South Korean

chipmaker seeks to strengthen its position in the fast-growing

AI semiconductor market.

The next-generation 12-layer HBM4E chip reaches speeds of up

to 16 gigabits per second per pin and offers over 20% better

power efficiency than previous models, the company said.

HBM chips are used in AI chipsets and are crucial components

for processors such as those made by Nvidia ( NVDA ), helping handle vast

data needed to train AI models.

SK Hynix is Nvidia's ( NVDA ) main HBM supplier, as rivals Samsung

and Micron compete.