Samsung views AI chips as a major driver of future growth. The company is focusing on expanding its production capabilities of these advanced chipsets to gain a leadership position in this segment. To that end, the company has signed a big contract with a disclosed AI company to develop an AI chip on its next-generation 2nm node.
Most semiconductor foundries are currently focusing on ramping up 3nm production with an eye on securing contracts for the 2nm node. Samsung has secured an early win against its major rivals, including TSMC, which is particularly wants to be competitive against.
Samsung has high hopes from its 2nm process
Samsung announced this contract during its recent earnings call but didn't reveal the name of this AI company. In any case, it goes to show that Samsung's efforts to catch up to TSMC in the next-generation manufacturing process are bearing fruit.
This contract that Samsung has won reportedly includes 2nm AI chips as well as HBM3 memory and advanced packaging. This highlights the fact that Samsung is making data center products under this contract. Samsung's 2nm process is expected to be launched in 2025, utilizing its gate-all-around technology with MBCFET design.
The company expects its 2nm node to do well, potentially delivering a 25% efficiency improvement at the same clock frequencies compared to its latest 2nm gate-all-around design. There may also be a 12% gain in power efficiency and a 5% reduction in die size. Samsung has already confirmed that its first 2nm wafers will be used to produce chips for smartphones.
It's unclear if Samsung won this contract with the undisclosed AI company by offering a discount. It was previously reported that Samsung had considered offering discounts for its 2nm wafers in a bid to steal business from TSMC.
