Samsung will mass produce third-generation 4nm chips in 1st half of 2023

After entering the 7nm or below process, the yield has always been one of Samsung’s most vexing issues, resulting in the loss of many major customers, such as Qualcomm. Additionally, performance and energy efficiency are areas where Samsung’s advanced processes urgently need improvement, and they have been striving for this for the past two or three years.

According to Business Korea, Samsung appears to have solved a series of obstacles in the 4nm process and will begin mass-producing third-generation chips based on the 4nm process in the first half of this year. Although there is no specific timetable or mention of any improvements, rumors suggest that Samsung’s third-generation 4nm process has improved performance, reduced power consumption, and increased density, making it highly likely to be used in Google’s Tensor G3 chip this year.

Due to yield issues, Samsung has been at a disadvantage in competition with TSMC in recent times. It has been reported that the yield rate of Samsung’s third-generation 4nm process has improved to 60%, which is indeed progress compared to itself, but it still falls short of TSMC’s 70% to 80% yield rate. However, some industry insiders have indicated that the yield rate of Samsung’s third-generation 4nm process is rapidly improving, and they believe that subsequent production versions will perform even better.

Apart from Apple, no other customers have shown interest in TSMC’s latest 3nm process yet, as the outsourcing price is too high, making other manufacturers hesitant. More customers are currently choosing TSMC’s 4nm and 5nm processes, which also gives Samsung’s third-generation 4nm process some opportunities. Moreover, Samsung is offering relatively favorable quotes in order to compete for orders, which should attract some manufacturers.