Samsung Can Overtake TSMC In 5 Years Says Foundry Head
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Korean chaebol Samsung Electronics believes it can overcome the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in five years as both firms roll out the next generation 2-nanometer semiconductor manufacturing process. Samsung, one of the world's largest companies, has nevertheless struggled to gain a lead in non-memory chip fabrication as its smaller rival, TSMC, becomes the world's premier contact chip manufacturer. However, Samsung aims to close the technological gap between it and the Taiwanese firm by employing Gate All Around (GAA) transistors for the 3-nanometer process, the leading edge semiconductor node, in 2023.
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Samsung's president and general manager of the foundry business of the Device Solutions business division Dr. Siyoung Choi made the remarks during a keynote held in South Korea earlier today. The event was held at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon. It saw the executive answer attendees' questions about the state of Samsung's chip business and its plans for the future.
Dr. Choi shared that right now, TSMC is far ahead of Samsung regarding chipmaking prowess. He believes it will take Samsung five years to catch up to and beat TSMC, even though both firms are currently making 3-nanometer semiconductors. While the marketing name for these technologies might be similar, they are quite different in design as Samsung utilizes the newer GAA technologies to make the transistors while TSMC relies on the tried and tested FinFET model.
The usage of GAA is crucial, believes Dr. Choi, since he believes that Samsung's 4-nanometer technology is two years behind TSMC, while the 3-nanometer technology is one year behind. The tables, according to him, will turn when TSMC moves to the 2-nanometer process. This is because TSMC plans to use GAA transistors beginning with the 2-nanometer node when Samsung will already have had the experience of making chips with the process courtesy of the 3-nanometer technology.
Samsung's president and general manager of the foundry business of the Device Solutions business division Dr. Siyoung Choi at the KAIST in May 2023. Image: Yerin Choi/Daejeon
The experience which Samsung will gain by making chips through GAA will enable it to overtake TSMC in five years, says Dr. Choi. This conclusion is based on the assumption that TSMC will encounter difficulties transitioning to the new technology. TSMC aims to produce chips made through the advanced technology in 2025, and Samsung has a similar timeline.
Not only is the Samsung executive optimistic about his firm's new chip manufacturing technologies, but he also believes that Samsung's memory division will prove to be more pivotal in the artificial intelligence race than NVIDIA's graphics processing units (GPUs). Samsung is one of the largest memory manufacturers in the world - as part of an industry concentrated predominantly in South Korea - and NVIDIA's GPUs have enabled the rise of the popular chatbot application ChatGPT.
Regarding U.S. restrictions against opening new chip plants in China as a condition for receiving funds through the CHIPS Act, Dr. Choi believes that while the policies are restrictive, they do not impact his firm's entire chip manufacturing business.
Source: Wccftech
