What you need to know
- Samsung announced it will begin mass production of its 2nm process for mobile in 2025 with the 1.4nm process beginning in 2027.
- The 2nm process is said to improve performance by 12%, power efficiency by 25%, and its size will shrink by 5% when compared to its 3nm application.
- Samsung is creating a new fab in Taylor, Texas and adding a new line in Pyeontaek, South Korea to boost production by 7.3 times.
After hosting its annual Samsung Foundry Forum event, the South Korean company gave insight into its plans for future processors. Samsung detailed its development plans for new 2nm chips in a press release stating that it plans to begin mass production of them in 2025.
This upgraded process is said to improve a phone's performance by 12%, its power efficiency by 25%, and the application's size will drop by 5% compared to Samsung's 3nm process, which it rolled out in 2022. Samsung's 2nm process for HPC (high-performance computing) will begin in 2026, with automotive vehicles coming along in 2027.
While we might be years away from these chips, Samsung states it also plans to begin production on a 1.4nm process in 2027.
The best Android phones this year are powered by 4nm chips like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The first 3nm chip is expected to launch later this year, but it will likely be Apple who beats everyone else to the punch with the chipset powering the iPhone 15 Pro. Smaller nodes help drive better performance and efficiency.
Samsung stated it will continue to use the same GAA technology packed into its recent 3nm process. The company stated that its gate-all-around (GAA)-based advanced node technology "will be instrumental in supporting the needs of our customers using AI applications." This technology allows the tech giant to adjust the channel width of its nanosheet to allow for higher performance and energy efficiency.
Samsung also announced at its annual event that its Foundry plans to begin producing 8-inch GaN power semiconductors for consumer, data center, and automotive applications in 2025. In addition, the company will begin production on the 5nm Radio Frequency (RF) process in the first half of 2025 while adding automotive applications, alongside mobile, to its current production of 8nm and 14 nm RF processes.
By 2027, Samsung plans to boost its clean room capacity by 7.3 times by adding a new manufacturing line to its South Korea and United States facilities. Mass production of mobile and other applications is set to begin in Pyeontaek in the second half of the year, while the new Texas is set to finish construction at the end of the year. Operations in Taylor, Texas should begin during the second half of 2024.
