Samsung Electronics is expected to announce mass production of 3-nanometer semiconductors next week, sources said on Wednesday, beating its foundry rival TSMC in the advanced chipmaking process.
The next-generation 3nm chips will be built on the Gate-All-Around (GAA) technology, which Samsung said will allow up to 45 percent area reduction while providing 30 percent higher performance and 50 percent lower power consumption, compared with the existing process.
The South Korean tech giant showcased its 3nm chips to US President Joe Biden last month when he visited Samsung’s semiconductor facility here, reports Yonhap news agency.
TSMC, the world’s largest contract chip manufacturer, said it will begin mass production of 3nm chips in the second half of the year.
The two companies have been in fierce competition to outperform each other by bringing the most advanced and efficient chips to the mass market and to win customers for contract chip manufacturing.
Samsung, the world’s largest memory chip maker, and second-largest foundry player has said its 2nm process node was in the early stages of development, with mass production planned for 2025.
According to industry tracker TrendForce, TSMC took up 53.5 percent of the global foundry market, followed by Samsung with 16.3 percent, in the first quarter of this year.
In 2019, Samsung unveiled a massive investment plan of $151 billion in the logic chip and foundry sectors by 2030, as the tech giant eyes the expansion of its leadership beyond the memory business.
