Samsung May Axe Its SF1.4 Process as 3nm Yield Fails to Improve
Samsung Foundry’s woes with its 3nm production lines may bring its future plans to a standstill, as the company is looking to axe its 1.4nm process node, which was initially due to enter mass production in 2027.
Samsung’s Woes With 3nm May Prompt Force the Foundry to Rethink SF1.4 Plans; Exynos 2600 to Continue on SF2
Exynos 2500, which was initially rumored to have been taped out on SF2, has been delayed to the second half of this year and is widely expected to be manufactured on the SF3 3nm process node. It has been speculated that Samsung’s foundry division is heavily reliant on the success of its SF3 node, which hasn’t “yielded” the best results.
TSMC, on the other hand, has continued to maintain decent yield rates for its N3 process node, which in turn, has led it to secure some of the largest clients at the moment. Samsung, on the other hand, is struggling to keep up. It has, however, received orders from sanction-hit Chinese companies for its SF4 process node and will restart production on some of its 4nm fabs in June this year.
In recent days, rumor has it that Samsung’s foundry division may be looking at an entire restructuring, owing to the enormous market gap that has slowly risen between itself and TSMC (8.2% and 67.1%, respectively).
The foundry may postpone its mass production plans for SF1.4 while still working on the next Exynos, the E2600, for now. Since this is based upon the SF2 process node, Samsung may look to perfect its 2nm lines if it needs to have a chance to compete to secure some of the biggest industry players.
In light of geopolitical risks, failing existing process lines, volatile raw material pricing, and lack of clear indication of where the foundry is headed, Samsung may be eyeing a bumpy few years ahead. It is also rumored that Samsung’s Exynos department may be transferred over to Samsung MX, but till this is confirmed, take this news with a grain of salt.
This is all we know for now, but rest assured that we will keep you updated as new information becomes available.
