Samsung to Launch 3nm Chipsets on July 25, Ahead of TSMC: Report

Samsung in June last week started the mass production of chips with advanced 3-nanometer (nm) technology based on the Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistor architecture. Now, new reports suggest that Samsung SoCs manufactured on the 3nm fabrication process will be launched on July 25. If the reports hold any weight, then the South Korean electronic brand will surpass the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), whose 3nm chip production is anticipated to start later this year. The new chip is claimed to consume 45 percent less power than previous conventional 5nm chips. It is said to improve performance by 23 percent as well.

As per a report by Pulse News Korea, Samsung Electronics will unveil the 3nm chips on July 25. The launch event will take place at the company’s manufacturing facility in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province in South Korea.

Additionally, a report by BusinessKorea suggests that the first batch of the 3nm chips will be delivered to a Chinese cryptocurrency miner.

Samsung Electronics kicked off mass production of 3-nanometer chips in June last week. Built based on the gate-all-around (GAA) transistor architecture, the first-generation 3nm chips are claimed to have a 16 percent smaller surface area, 45 percent reduction in power usage and 23 percent performance improvement compared with the current 5nm chips. Samsung stated that the second generation of the 3nm process would reduce power consumption by up to 50 percent and improve performance by 30 percent.

With 3nm chip production, Samsung is challenging the world’s top chipmaker TSMC. The latter’s clients include iPhone maker Apple and Qualcomm. The global chip shortage over the past two years, caused by COVID-19 pandemic supply chaos combined with booming demand is currently threatening the manufacturing companies across the globe. In light of this, in June, TSMC confirmed that chips manufactured on the 3nm fabrication process will debut in 2023. The Taiwanese firm plans to release chips manufactured with the 2nm process in 2025.

According to data provider TrendForce (via Reuters), TSMC controls 54 percent of the global market for contract production of chips followed by Samsung. The South Korean brand has a 16.3 percent market share.