Samsung Electronics unveiled its latest advancements in foundry technology and outlined its business strategy at the 7th annual Samsung Foundry Forum (SFF) 2023.
The forum, themed "Innovation Beyond Boundaries," focused on Samsung Foundry's mission to meet customer demands in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) through cutting-edge semiconductor technology.
The event witnessed the participation of over 700 guests, including customers and partners of Samsung Foundry. Thirty-eight companies showcased their booths, sharing the latest trends in the foundry industry.
Dr. Siyoung Choi, President and Head of Foundry Business at Samsung Electronics, expressed confidence in Samsung Foundry's ability to cater to customer needs using AI applications. He emphasized the company's commitment to staying ahead of the innovation curve and highlighted the significance of customer success as the core value of their foundry services.
To strengthen its position as a leading foundry service, Samsung Foundry revealed its business strategy, which included several key announcements.
These included expanding the applications of its 2-nanometer (nm) and specialty processes, enhancing production capacity at the Pyeongtaek fab Line 3 (P3), launching the "Multi-Die Integration (MDI) Alliance" for next-generation packaging technology, and advancing the foundry ecosystem through collaborations with Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem (SAFE™) partners.
Samsung also shared detailed plans for the mass production of its 2nm process, along with performance levels. The company is set to commence mass production of the 2nm process for mobile applications in 2025, followed by high-performance computing (HPC) in 2026 and automotive applications in 2027. Compared to the 3nm process, Samsung's 2nm process (SF2) demonstrates a 12% increase in performance, a 25% improvement in power efficiency, and a 5% reduction in area.
Furthermore, Samsung will initiate foundry services for 8-inch gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors targeting consumer, data center, and automotive applications from 2025 onwards. In anticipation of 6G technology, the company is developing the 5nm Radio Frequency (RF) process, which will be available in the first half of 2025.
Samsung's 5nm RF process offers a 40% boost in power efficiency and a 50% reduction in area compared to the previous 14nm process. Additionally, Samsung plans to expand the application of its 8nm and 14nm RF processes to include automotive applications, in addition to the existing focus on mobile applications.
Adhering to its "Shell-First" operation strategy aimed at meeting customer demands effectively, Samsung Foundry remains committed to capacity expansion by establishing new manufacturing lines in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, and Taylor, Texas. The ongoing expansion efforts will result in a 7.3-fold increase in the company's clean room capacity by 2027, compared to 2021.
Mass production of foundry products for mobile and other applications at Pyeongtaek Line 3 is slated to begin in the second half of this year. Samsung is also dedicated to bolstering its manufacturing capacity in the United States, with the construction of a new fab in Taylor progressing according to schedule. The facility is expected to be operational in the second half of 2024.
In its pursuit of next-generation foundry services, Samsung plans to expand its production base to Yongin, South Korea.
