Samsung will reportedly start using a new chip packaging technology that will make chips perform better and consume less power. According to a report from the Korean publication EDaily, Samsung has started using FOWLP (Fan-Out Wafer Level Packaging) technology to make chips and has started delivering products to its customers.
Samsung's Exynos 2400 could use FOWLP chip packaging technology for improved thermals and smaller size
FOWLP (Fan-Out Wafer Level Packaging) is said to be a key technology to improve the performance of semiconductor chips. Samsung's chip fabrication is considered inferior to TSMC, but with FOWLP, Samsung can bounce back. The South Korean firm has already completed the verification of FOWLP, and the mass production of chips using the new technology is underway. FOWLP is said to be the same technology that helped TSMC perform better than Samsung Foundry. Now that Samsung also has access to FOWLP, it aims to dethrone TSMC in the contract chip fabrication segment.
FOWLP is a cutting-edge chip packaging technology that reduces the thickness of the chip and saves both time and money. During semiconductor chip packaging, they are stacked by attaching chips to a PCB (Printed Circuit Board). However, FOWLP doesn't require PCB as chips are attached directly to the wafer. Compared to the FC-BGA (Flip Chip-Ball Grid Array) chip packaging technology that is currently being used, chips using FOWLP have a 40% smaller size, 30% reduced thickness, and 15% higher performance. This technology is already being used to make GDDR6W chips that were introduced late last year.
Samsung is expected to use the FOWLP chip packaging technology for the Exynos 2400 to improve the power efficiency and reduce its size, which have traditionally been the pain points of Exynos chips. The Exynos 2400 uses Samsung Foundry's second-generation 4nm (SF4 or 4LPP) fabrication technique. It will be used in the Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24+ in most countries, and if it performs well compared to previous Exynos chips, it could offer a lifeline to the Exynos lineup and make people trust Exynos chips again.
