In the field of chip foundry, TSMC has long dominated the market with its leading technology and advanced packaging processes. However, Samsung is demonstrating strong competitive potential by providing comprehensive solutions beyond the single 2nm foundry dimension. According to the latest news, Samsung and Broadcom have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in depth over the next five years to jointly build the next generation of artificial intelligence infrastructure. The total value of the agreement is as high as US$200 billion.
According to the cooperation agreement, the focus of the cooperation between the two parties includes Samsung's 2nm gate-all-around (GAA) process technology and next-generation HBM4 high-bandwidth memory. Broadcom will use Samsung's HBM4 and subsequent enhanced version HBM4E memory in its AI accelerator, and use Samsung's 2nm node to manufacture core products including high-speed data communication chips. In addition to providing basic production capacity, Samsung will also provide Broadcom with in-depth guidance on the entire process from the chip design stage to physical optimization, packaging and even mass production to significantly shorten the chip design and development cycle. This is also the core added value of this huge cooperation.
The analysis pointed out that although TSMC is making rapid progress on the 2nm node, as a pure wafer foundry company, it does not produce memory itself. If customers want to achieve deep collaboration between chips and memory, they must cooperate with external memory suppliers, which will bring additional friction and risks in supply chain management and technology integration. In contrast, Samsung has both advanced wafer foundry and high-end DRAM production capabilities, and can jointly optimize the 2nm process and 1c DRAM technology to significantly improve the physical design, power supply efficiency and heat dissipation performance of the chip.
This "one-stop" integration model not only effectively reduces supply chain bottlenecks, but also significantly shortens the product delivery cycle. With the implementation of this heavyweight agreement, Samsung has opened up a new battlefield in the competition with TSMC by virtue of its unique integration advantages, laying a solid foundation for further expanding its market share in the future.