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The turbulent journey Samsung faced with its 3nm GAA process will be succeeded by the Korean company’s first-generation 2nm GAA node. The Exynos 2600 is expected to be Samsung’s first System-on-Chip (SoC) mass-produced on this architecture. Even if Samsung overcomes the yield challenges, an industry insider suggests that its true success or failure will depend on the second-generation 2nm process, currently known as SF2P. So far, TSMC remains the only other manufacturer scheduled to start full-scale production of wafers using this lithography.
Interest has already been garnered for Samsung’s SF2P technology, with reports indicating that Tesla is reportedly utilizing it for its AI6 chip. In July, Samsung secured a $16.5 billion deal with Tesla to supply chips fabricated on the 2nm GAA process. The company aims to mass-produce the AI6 chip for Tesla’s next-generation FSD (Full Self-Driving) system, robotics, and data centers. SF2P is scheduled to enter mass production in the coming year, offering a 12 percent performance boost and a 25 percent power efficiency improvement over the first-generation 2nm node.
According to ZDNet, Samsung has already completed the basic design of SF2P, indicating its focus on competing with TSMC. The latest report does not provide information about the yields of the second-generation 2nm process but notes that Samsung needs to focus on the first iteration for now. An unnamed insider stated that SF2P will determine Samsung’s success or failure in the advanced foundry market, though yields are yet to be stabilized.
Samsung anticipates demand for 2nm wafers lasting up to four years and has started development work on the third-generation 2nm process, known as SF2P+, with plans to implement it within two years.
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