Samsung Electronics Co yesterday commenced mass production of 3-nanometer chips that are more powerful and efficient than predecessors, beating rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to a key milestone in the race to build the most advanced chips in the world.
South Korea’s largest company said in a statement that it was beginning with 3-nanometer semiconductors for high-performance and specialized low-power computing applications before expanding to mobile processors.
By applying so-called Gate-All-Around transistor architecture, Samsung’s 3-nanometer products reduce power consumption by up to 45 percent and improve performance by 23 percent compared with 5-nanometer chips, it said.
Photo: AFP
Samsung’s push to be first to market with the latest technology is essential in its uphill climb to match TSMC, which remains dominant in the contract chipmaking market.
The Taiwanese firm accounts for more than half of the global foundry business by revenue and is the exclusive supplier of Apple Inc’s silicon processors for iPhones, iPads, MacBooks and desktop Mac PCs.
TSMC has said its 3-nanometer technology would be the most advanced technology when it is introduced in the second half of this year.
Photo: Reuters
The technology would first be used to manufacture chips for high-performance-computing applications and smartphones, it said.
TSMC also said it has seen stronger customer engagement for its 3-nanometer technology for the first year, compared with the previous-generation 5-nanometer technology.
TSMC adopts a different approach in developing its 3-nanometer technology. The company said it adopts the FinFet transistor structure to deliver the best technology maturity, performance and cost for its customers.
TSMC and Samsung are competing for large multiyear orders from the likes of Apple and Qualcomm Inc.
Samsung is producing the 3-nanometer chips at its Hwaseong facilities and is expected to extend that production to its newest Pyeongtaek fab.
“We will continue active innovation in competitive technology development and build processes that help expedite achieving maturity of technology,” said Siyoung Choi, president and head of Samsung’s foundry business.
Samsung’s launch of 3-nanometer chip production should not affect TSMC’s market share and sales growth in the next 12 months, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Charles Shum said.
Samsung’s 3-nanometer chip needs to demonstrate that it can be produced at the same cost-efficiency level as TSMC’s most advanced N3 process before it can gain new orders from Apple, Qualcomm and other large chip designers, Shum added.
Samsung’s advance comes at a sensitive time for the semiconductor industry, whose place in the global geopolitical order is currently under scrutiny by leading governments.
The US and China have both taken steps to bring more chipmaking capacity and expertise within their borders — arguing it is a matter of national security — and Samsung is in the process of setting up a new fabrication facility in Texas.
Additional reporting by Lisa Wang
SOLIDARITY: A group of European lawmakers condemned China’s aggressive moves, while the foreign minister of Lithuania said Taiwan ‘cannot become a second Ukraine’ A German parliamentary delegation would visit Taiwan in the first week of October, German lawmaker Holger Becker on Monday told visiting Democratic Progressive Party legislators Fan Yun (范雲) and Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) at the Bundestag in Berlin. Asked by Fan whether he is worried about possible reprisals from Beijing, such as banning him and his family from entering China, Becker said he is more interested in visiting Taiwan, as “now is the time for democracies to stand together.” Fan and Lin also met with German officials to exchange views on digital education and governance. Investing in digital infrastructure and protecting equal rights to
As China waged extensive military exercises off Taiwan, a group of US defense experts in Washington was focused on their own simulation of an eventual — but for now entirely hypothetical — US-China war over the nation. The unofficial what-if game is being conducted on the fifth floor of an office building not far from the White House, and it posits a US military response to a Chinese invasion in 2026. Even though the participants bring a US perspective, they are finding that a US-Taiwan victory, if there is one, could come at a huge cost. “The results are showing that under
‘SIMULATED ATTACKS’: Ten warships each from China and Taiwan were maneuvering at close quarters in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the median line Taiwan yesterday reiterated that it would not succumb to pressure from Beijing after China carried out its most provocative military drills in decades in retaliation for US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan last week. “We will never bow to pressure. We uphold freedom and democracy, and believe Taiwanese disapprove [of] China’s bullying actions with force and saber rattling at our door,” Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday. China had “arrogantly” disrupted regional peace and stability, he said, calling on Beijing to not flex its military muscles. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has also called on the international community to “support
DRILLS CONTINUE: China’s creation of a restricted zone across the median line of the Taiwan Strait challenges a 70-year-old fact, a ministry of defense official said The nation’s military fully complies with international rules and guidelines when responding to Chinese military drills, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, vowing to continue defending Taiwan in accordance with international law. China on Thursday launched four days of military drills around Taiwan proper in response to US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei. The drills were expected to end on Sunday, but neither Beijing nor Taipei confirmed their conclusion, although the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said it had seen some evidence suggesting at least a partial drawdown. However, China yesterday said the drills would continue, saying “the
RSS