Samsung is ready to begin mass production of third-gen 4nm chipsets

Samsung Semiconductor received the green light to proceed with the mass production of third-generation 4nm chipsets, sources from Korea reveal. The company managed to achieve satisfactory wafer yield of the new generation chipsets that should help lower power consumption.

The manufacturing process is expected to start by the end of H1 2023, which is in three months.

Yields on a single wafer were extremely low at the Hwaseong factory, which pushed chip companies such as Qualcomm to contract TSMC for 4nm platforms. The Taiwanese company had about 70-80% usable wafers, while Samsung barely managed to reach 60%, and since makers pay for the whole wafer, it is more viable to go for the manufacturer with less production waste.

The next leap in advanced process technology is 3nm, and Apple is expected to launch its iPhone 15 Pro devices with such platforms. Business Korea quoted research by Counterpoint, which reveals the 4nm and 5nm processes are among the most used in mobile devices at 22%, followed by 6nm and 7nm chips at 16%.

The production of 4nm chips is expected to further increase in the future, as both Samsung and TSMC are building plants in the United States which will be ready for operation in 2024.

Source