Cyber week deals! Galaxy Watch8 Classic, Fold 7, S25 Ultra. Follow us on YouTube, TikTok, or LinkedIn
Last updated: December 23rd, 2024 at 04:52 UTC+01:00
SamMobile has affiliate and sponsored partnerships, we may earn a commission.
Reading time: 2 minutes
The US Commerce Department announced that it is offering $4.745 to Samsung Electronics under the country's CHIPS (Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors) Act. Samsung will use this funding to construct two leading-edge logic chip fabrication plans and a chip R&D fabrication plant in Taylor, Texas.
The South Korean firm will also use this funding to expand its existing semiconductor chip plant in Austin, Texas.
Samsung was initially slated to get $6.4 billion under the CHIPS Act. However, the funding has been revised, as Samsung has revised its mid-to-long-term investment for further optimization. What that likely means is that Samsung has reduced its investment compared to the original plan.
The South Korean firm, once a fierce competitor to current market leader TSMC, has fallen behind in the race. Despite spending billions of dollars over the years, its market share has only reduced. The company is facing trouble getting clients for its 3nm and more advanced nodes, while TSMC is exclusively bagging deals for such nodes.
While Samsung claimed that the yield of its second-generation 3nm process node is stable, recent reports claim it is just 20%. That is less than a third of its target. Samsung will need to work hard on this if it wants to compete with TSMC, which reportedly has over 70% yield for its 3nm nodes.
Samsung plans to start the production of chips based on its 2nm process node next year. Since it has missed the boat with its 3nm process node, the company is diverting its investment to its 2nm process node.
Asif is a computer engineer turned technology journalist. He has been using Samsung phones since 2004, and his current smartphone is the Galaxy S21 Ultra. He loves headphones, mechanical keyboards, and PC hardware. When not writing about technology, he likes watching crime and science fiction movies and TV shows.