Samsung is seriously aiming to strengthen its standing in the global semiconductor race and is preparing a major overhaul of its chip manufacturing strategy in the USA. The company is abandoning the 4nm process technology in favor of the more advanced 2nm GAA, which could bring it closer to the level of TSMC—the current industry leader. A crucial role in this plan is played by the plant in Taylor, Texas, where equipment for EUV lithography, necessary for producing modern microchips with high transistor density, has already been installed.
Initially, the facility was planned as a site for 4nm manufacturing, but the direction has been revised. Samsung decided to bet on the more promising technology, despite its complexity. Mass production of 2nm chips is now viewed as a priority, and production volumes are gradually increasing—from an initial 20 thousand to 50 thousand wafers per month. In the future, this figure could grow to 100 thousand, which will position the Texas plant among the company’s primary fabrication centers.
The first chip on the new process technology is expected to be the Exynos 2600. Early reports suggested a not-so-high yield rate, but over time, the metrics are improving, making the project increasingly viable. Concurrently, Samsung is accelerating the development of the next version of the technology—SF2P+—which might appear within the next couple of years.
An additional incentive for expansion has been a major deal with Tesla worth approximately $16.5 billion—Samsung will fabricate AI6 chips for autonomous driving systems. Orders from Chinese firms operating in the crypto hardware sector are also reported, although some of these contracts will likely be fulfilled outside the United States.
All of this indicates that Samsung intends not just to catch up with TSMC, but to impose direct competition in the segment of leading-edge process technologies. If the pace is maintained, the American site could become a pivotal element in the company’s worldwide strategy and significantly alter the balance of power in the semiconductor market in the coming years.
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