Samsung Electronics will increase its foundry capability in legacy nodes beginning this 12 months.
The transfer is aimed toward securing new prospects and boosting profitability by growing the manufacturing capability of mature processes for such objects as CMOS picture sensors (CISs), that are in rising demand because of a chronic scarcity.
On the identical time, Samsung Electronics is planning to begin quantity manufacturing of superior chips on its sub-3-nm fabrication course of within the first half of this 12 months.
The corporate stated in its 2021 enterprise report that it’s contemplating increasing its matured node capability within the mid to long run as demand is anticipated to proceed to remain sturdy.
The corporate added it’s taking steps to sharpen its product competitiveness and is intently contemplating constructing new fabs by well timed funding.
This marked the primary time that Samsung Electronics instructed the potential for increasing its capability in legacy node. Samsung Electronics has been increasing funding within the system semiconductor sector for years. The corporate is anticipated to ramp up funding to increase legacy nodes this 12 months. In 2021, Samsung Electronics’ facility funding reached an all-time excessive of 48.22 trillion received and elevated 25.3 % from a 12 months in the past.
Samsung Electronics may also proceed to introduce spinoff course of applied sciences that improve efficiency and price competitiveness by enhancing previous processes. In October 2021, the corporate introduced that it’ll enhance manufacturing effectivity by making use of a brand new fin field-effect transistor (FinFET)-based 17-nm course of to the manufacturing of picture sensors and cellular show driving ICs (DDIs) which have been produced on present 28-nm processes of a flat construction.
To this point, Samsung Electronics has centered on creating superior course of applied sciences as a substitute of legacy processes. Nevertheless, because the legacy course of market has grown to an unprecedented degree because of a semiconductor increase, analysts say that Samsung Electronics is actively responding to demand enlargement by scaling up associated investments.
In TSMC’s case, the share of legacy nodes, which discuss with 16-nm or above chipmaking processes, accounted for 50 % of its income in 2021. Samsung accounts for about 40 % of the worldwide market within the superior 10-nm or decrease course of sector. However its share is way smaller within the matured course of phase.
Samsung Electronics plans to safe as much as 300 foundry prospects by 2026 and triple manufacturing from the 2017 degree.
Regardless of a problem in securing a desired yield, Samsung Electronics expressed its intention to hold out quantity manufacturing on its 3-nm or beneath processes with no hitch. Samsung has constructed the world’s first 3-nm course of utilizing gate throughout (GAA) know-how, which is anticipated to roll out chips within the first half of 2022. Its 2-nm course of based mostly on third-generation GAA know-how will begin quantity manufacturing in 2025
The corporate narrowed its know-how hole with TSMC through quantity manufacturing of 4-nm merchandise in April 2021. “We plan to increase enterprise alternatives by securing abroad commerce strains and strengthening responsiveness to high-growth markets such because the high-performance computing (HPC) and automotive markets.”