It hasn't been long since Samsung completed the construction of its P2 semiconductor plant in Pyeongtaek, but now, the company is preparing to build its 3rd ‘P3' semiconductor factory in the same city in the Gyeonggi Province. According to reports from the local media, Samsung wants to start constructing the P3 plant in September and make it fully operational by the end of 2021.
The P3 plant will reportedly be 300 meters longer than the existing P2 plant, topping a total of 700 meters in length. Constructing the building itself should take roughly a year, and a few additional months will be needed to install the necessary equipment and ready it for mass production.
Samsung's P3 plant could be a ‘total semiconductor factory'
Given the size of the P3 plant compared to the P2 factory, industry watchers speculate that Samsung might want to turn the P3 facility into a ‘total semiconductor factory' capable of producing DRAM and NAND flash chips as well as system semiconductors including application processors and image sensors. The P3 plant will also reportedly be the place where future manufacturing processes will debut before they'll be adopted by Samsung's other manufacturing facilities.
Samsung is the largest DRAM and NAND flash manufacturer in the world and it dominated the smartphone memory market all throughout 2019. It manufactures semiconductor solutions for its own products as well as for numerous major clients. Demand for newer memory technologies is likely to increase and the company wants to keep the momentum going. If the reports turn out to be accurate, its giant P3 plant in Pyeongtaek could be a key component for the company to maintain its leading role in the segment.
