Samsung Announces Foundry Vision for the AI Era
At the prestigious ‘Samsung Foundry Forum (SFF) 2023’, Samsung presented a visionary blueprint for semiconductor development in the throes of the transformative Artificial Intelligence (AI) era, declaring an intention to expedite the progression of the AI epoch with cutting-edge semiconductor technologies. This year’s forum, themed ‘Innovation Beyond Boundaries’, delved into the pivotal role of Samsung Foundry and saw the enthusiastic participation of over 700 customers and partners of Samsung Foundry.
According to a report from TechPowerup, in a bid to fortify its competitive standing in foundry services and as an integral part of its business strategy, Samsung made the following pronouncements:
1. Expansion of the application of the 2nm process and specialty processes
2. Capacity augmentation of the Pyeongtaek Line 3 (P3)
3. Launch of a novel ‘Multi-Die Integration (MDI) Alliance’ for next-generation packaging technologies
4. Continual advancements in the foundry ecosystem in collaboration with Samsung Foundry’s Advanced Foundry Ecosystem (SAFE) partners
Samsung plans to commence mass production of the 2nm process for mobile applications in 2025 and to extend it to High-Performance Computing (HPC) and automotive domains in 2026 and 2027 respectively. Compared to the 3nm process (SF3), its 2nm process (SF2) offers a performance enhancement of 12%, an energy efficiency increase of 25%, and a 5% reduction in area. As per Samsung’s roadmap, the 1.4mm process (SF1.4) will also enter mass production in 2027.
Starting in 2025, Samsung will begin to offer foundry services for 8-inch Gallium Nitride (GaN) power semiconductors, targeting consumer products, data centres, and automotive applications. Concurrently, 5nm Radio Frequency (RF) chips are also under development, with a projected launch in the first half of 2025, boasting an energy efficiency increase of 40% and a 50% reduction in area compared to the previous 14nm. Moreover, Samsung intends to augment automotive applications in 8nm and 14nm RF chips.
Samsung will mass-produce specialized foundry products for mobile phones and others on the Pyeongtaek Line 3 from the second half of this year. Its new wafer plant in Taylor, Texas, USA, is progressing as per schedule, with completion anticipated by the end of this year and operations expected to commence from the latter half of 2024. In partnership with key companies in the memory, substrate packaging, and testing domains, Samsung plans to roll out the MDI Alliance, fostering a 2.5D and 3D heterogeneous packaging technology ecosystem and pioneering stacked technology innovations.
