Samsung's high-bandwidth memory chips, the HBM3E in particular, have not done as well as the company might have hoped. They've still not cleared NVIDIA's quality certification which would pave the way for a lucrative order from the AI chip giant.

A new report indicates that a major player in the AI space has ditched the chips. Google reportedly planned on using Samsung's HBM3Es in its custom AI server chips but has now told Samsung that it's going to use another supplier.

SK Hynix has emerged as the clear winner in the race to secure HBM3E orders. The company has posted record profits on the back of increased sales, while Samsung still struggles to secure approval from NVIDIA, which would also serve as a vote of confidence for the industry and likely lead to orders from other companies as well.

Samsung has submitted the chips to NVIDIA for approval. It reportedly made some tweaks as well to address NVIDIA's concerns around heat management, but even as its CEO has praised Samsung's technology, an approval still remains elusive.

It's claimed that the failure to pass NVIDIA's certification process is likely one of the reasons why Google is now looking elsewhere. The online search giant is believed to switch to Micron's HBM3E chips instead.

Samsung did acknowledged the setbacks it has faced with HBM3E during a recent shareholders meeting, and committed to doubling down on the next-generation HBM4 to ensure there's no repeat of what has transpired so far. Whether or not it plays out exactly like that remains to be seen.