TSMC’s 3nm chip yield rate is lower than Samsung’s

Recent reports suggest that TSMC has encountered complications in the production of its 3nm chips, with yield rates failing to elevate, amounting to only 55% for A17 Bionic and M3 chips. Consequently, TSMC and Apple have agreed to deviate from the standard wafer pricing structure, with Apple solely compensating TSMC for the successful chips.

On the other hand, Samsung, plagued by yield issues in recent years, seems to have overcome its predicament by constantly improving yield rates for advanced processes. Earlier reports stated that Samsung had bolstered its 4nm process yield rate to 75%, nearing the 80% yield rate of TSMC’s 4nm process. According to the latest news from KMIB, Samsung’s journey down the 3nm process appears to be smooth sailing, with yield rates soaring to 60%, surpassing TSMC’s 55%.

This isn’t the first instance of such news; Samsung had previously claimed that post-mass-production yield rates for its 3nm process could peak at 70%. Although the superficial figures seem to have dipped, this may be correlated with the rise in production volumes, a detail overlooked in related reports. Nevertheless, it clearly demonstrates Samsung’s significant progress in terms of yield rates. To put things in perspective, Samsung’s 3nm process yield rate was a mere 20% as of November last year.

Industry insiders suggest that TSMC’s yield rate issues with the 3nm process node might be associated with its insistence on utilizing the conventional FinFET (Fin Field Effect Transistor), possibly persisting into the 2nm process node. Unlike TSMC, Samsung’s 3nm process node employs the novel GAA (Gate-All-Around) transistor technology architecture, which, with increasing production maturity, has resulted in an enhancement of yield rates. Furthermore, the recent downturn in the semiconductor market has granted Samsung the opportunity to invest more time in testing and refining its 3nm chip production line.

Rumor has it that Samsung’s diligent efforts will soon reap rewards, as AMD may opt for its 3nm process for some of its upcoming artificial intelligence and data center chips.