Samsung is taking a more cautious approach to its chip foundry business as it is still working to improve 2nm GAA yields, but it has plenty of time to improve and iterate.The South Korean foundry is gradually improving its next-generation lithography technology and expects huge demand for chips produced at this node over the next four years.
Given Samsung's plans to launch multiple variants of its cutting-edge process, the company's decision to delay the 1.4nm process and focus on 2nm GAA is widely viewed favorably. According to Chosun Ilbo, the foundry giant is focusing on two areas so that it can transform into a competitor and substitute for TSMC. Tipster @Jukanlosreve shared more details and mentioned that Samsung internally expects demand for 2nm GAA wafers to last at least three years. During this period, the chipmaker will also focus on thermal and performance stability issues.
Previously, it was reported that Samsung has launched a "select and concentrate" strategy, aiming to focus on the 2nm GAA process and increase the yield to 70%. This figure is 20% to 30% lower than TSMC's yield, but the current results are better than management's conservative forecast.
Samsung expects to achieve mass production in the second half of 2025 and is currently establishing production lines at its Pyeongtaek factory and other factories. Although not mentioned in the report, Samsung also plans to launch an improved version of its 2nm GAA node, starting with the second-generation process, the basic design of which is reportedly complete.
The third generation of this process is called "SF2P+", and Samsung plans to implement this process within two years, but it is not yet certain whether the above-mentioned factory will be put into production, and whether the company plans to build other factories in the future. Given its poor track record, future orders will not be favored, so it will have to build trust with various industry contracts while offering its 2nm GAA wafers at discounted prices to attract customers.