Samsung is about to launch mass production of its semiconductors with 3 nm etching. Direct competitor of TSMCthe South Korean firm intends to defend itself well on the market.
Mass production of Samsung 3nm etching
According to reports, Samsung is about to start manufacturing its next chips with 3nm engraving. The predictions point to the end of June of 2022. This happens at the same time as TSMC’s announcement with its new 3nm “FinFlex” node technology.
Competition with the world leader will therefore be difficult for Samsung. In October 2021, the South Korean company declared a yield close to the N4 (or 4nm) etching process for the N3. These are still not official figures, so we expect improvements since then.
As a reminder, Samsung’s 4nm and 5nm nodes have struggled in the market. Struggling to convince, the South Korean giant will therefore have to catch up with the 3 nm. By starting production soon, Samsung will get a bit ahead of TSMC. The company will use the new generations of GAA transistors (Gate All Around).
New generation chips for 2023
Samsung is therefore preparing to produce new generation chips from the second half of 2022. The company will use GAA technology, called MBCFET. Compared to TSMC’s FinFET, this would reduce the surface of the engraving by 45%, while improving performance (30% gain) and energy efficiency (50% less on consumption).
The South Korean firm has already invested $355 billion this year to increase its semiconductor production capacity. The goal is to close the gap with TSMC. As a reminder, the Taiwanese company holds more than 50% of the world market, while Samsung has only 16%. TSMC would not switch to GAA transistors until 2025 with the 2nm etching process.
Samsung and TSMC will therefore now take two different technologies for their engravings. The objective of the South Korean company is to become the manufacturer of new generation chips such as Apple’s M2 Pro or AMD’s Ryzen 8000. Using the MBCFET structure on these processors would be a big step for Samsung.
Conclusion
Samsung intends to regain ground in the semiconductor market with MBCFET, an improved version of the traditional FinFET. TSMC has however announced the arrival of the FinFlex. The result of each will therefore be decisive for the future.
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