Samsung today announced its future plans in the chip manufacturing sector. dr. Si-young Choi, president of the company’s Foundry Business, went into detail about Samsung’s chip manufacturing roadmap.
According to Samsung’s plans, we can expect 2nm chips to come out of the factories in 2025, while 1.4nm chips are expected in 2027. During that time, Samsung plans to expand its foundry portfolio by 50% and include non-mobile chips such as high-performance computer chips or chips used in the automotive industry. It basically means that Samsung will triple its advanced node production.
Samsung will be able to do that by moving to an entirely new strategy called Shell-First. It essentially means that future fab expansions will focus first on building the so-called cleanrooms. That’s the building itself without the equipment needed to make chips. This would allow the tech giant to be more flexible with its future production and quickly reuse production lines. The facility testing this approach is under construction in Taylor, Texas for $17 billion.
Samsung has also given us an update on the X-Cube chip packaging process that was first introduced in 2020. It allows for leaner stacking of multiple chips. The first 3D packaging X-Cube hardware with micro-bump interconnection is planned for 2024 and the design will be bump-free in 2026. This process also allows for custom chip design tailored to the customer’s specific needs.