Samsung on Track to Mass Produce 1.4 nm Chips by 2027

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest memory chipmaker, recently revealed the exciting details of its advanced process roadmap as it prepares to compete against its archrival, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), in the era of artificial intelligence.

During its annual foundry forum in San Jose, California, the South Korean tech giant also shared its plans to offer contract chipmaking services for next-generation power management chips targeting automotive applications, including electric vehicles, starting in 2025.

"We have always been at the forefront of technology innovation, catering to the evolving needs of our customers. Today, we are proud to present our gate-all-around (GAA)-based technology, which will greatly support our customers in leveraging AI applications," said Choi Si-young, Samsung's Chief of Foundry Business, at the Samsung Foundry Forum 2023.

As previously announced, Samsung will commence mass production of the 2-nanometer process for mobile applications by 2025, with plans for expansion into other areas in the following years.

The advanced 2 nm technology will be employed for high-performance computing (HPC) chips used in supercomputers and computer clusters by 2026, followed by automotive chips in 2027. Samsung has confirmed its aim to initiate large-scale production of even more cutting-edge 1.4 nm chips by 2027.

Chipmaking processes are categorized by numerical labels representing the size of transistors that can be integrated onto a chip. The number indicates the thickness of the circuitry that can be etched onto the transistor. Generally, lower numbers speak to more advanced technology.

With the growing demand for high-performance chips, the competition for technological advancements intensifies, particularly between foundry leader TSMC and Samsung, the fast-follower.

While Samsung's production tech centers around GAA transistor architecture for its microfabrication process, TSMC adopts a different approach utilizing the fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) structure.

Samsung's advanced 2 nm chips have showcased a remarkable 12% performance improvement and a 25% boost in power efficiency compared to their previous 3 nm process, which debuted last year.

During the event, Samsung revealed plans to offer contract manufacturing services for 8-inch gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors capable of supporting various consumer, data, and automotive applications. These services are set to become available in 2025.

In the first half of the year, they are producing cutting-edge 5 nm radio frequency (RF) chips to support the revolutionary 6G networking technology. These advanced RF chips boast an impressive 40% increase in power efficiency compared to our previous 14 nm-based RF chips.

Samsung will also introduce the Multi-Die Integration Alliance, a strategic partnership with their esteemed allies, to pioneer innovative packaging technologies tailored for the high-performance computing (HPC) and automotive industries.

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